Boy catches piranha in Pennsylvania lake

[jeff of pa]

 

[Red-Coat]

Good catch.

We've had several caught in the UK over the years - usually red-bellied - plus a number of dead ones found floating in the water. A recently-dead one even fell onto the deck of a boat in the Thames in 2004, believed to have been dropped by a gull. The most usual reason for releasing them seems to be that they've become too big for the aquarium they were being kept in.

 

[jeff of pa]

Other Then a Bite While Removng one from a Hook,
I doubt 1 Single Piranha would do much Harm anywhere.

My Understsanding Blood attracts them & It is the Groups (schools)
of Piranha to worry about ?

Imteresting though what were the Odds of Actually Catching one in a Lake , IF there was only One ?
Makes me Wonder, Though PA's winter freezes almost certainly suggests it wasn't there Long, Unless they are adapting

 

[jeff of pa]

Maybe Using Ground Beef for Bait ?

 

[jewelerguy]

I caught a large goldfish in a farm pond once. Gotta admit, a piranha would kinda give you heebee jeebees thinking about how many more might be in there

 

[Red-Coat]

Other Then a Bite While Removng one from a Hook,
I doubt 1 Single Piranha would do much Harm anywhere.

My Understsanding Blood attracts them & It is the Groups (schools)
of Piranha to worry about ?

Imteresting though what were the Odds of Actually Catching one in a Lake , IF there was only One ?
Makes me Wonder, Though PA's winter freezes almost certainly suggests it wasn't there Long, Unless they are adapting

Yep. Piranhas are actually quite timid and the notion of them forming terrfiying shoals to attack prey such as humans and strip the flesh in seconds is largely a Hollywood myth. They mostly form defensive shoals when threatened to protect themselves against larger predators. Certainly they're attracted to blood, as are most predatory fish, to help them locate injured and vulnerable prey.

 

[evelynwang]

That’s a pretty wild catch for a Pennsylvania lake! I’d be more curious about how it got there than worried about an attack. With the winters in PA, I’d think an aquarium release is the most likely explanation, and it probably wouldn’t survive long if the water got really cold.

 

[bigtruck68]

Piranha in a Pennsylvania lake? That's definitely someone's pet that got released. They don't survive winters up there.