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Animal Themes
Fish
Freshwater

Piranhas

Piranhas
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   9.98

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    caribe, notorious, piranha, piranhas, red-bellied, encounter, meat-eaters, tales, species, legend, reputation, bloodthirsty, cannibal, flesh, razor, attack
     content words:    South America, President Theodore Roosevelt, Brazilian Wilderness

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Other Languages
     Spanish: Las Pirañas

Piranhas   
1     Piranhas, sometimes called cannibal fish or caribe in Spanish, have a notorious reputation! Tales are told that schools of piranhas (pronounced "pee-ron-yahs") attack animals - large or small - with no mercy. They sink their sharp teeth into their victim's flesh and devour it as soon as they can. Within minutes, their victim is reduced to nothing but bones. Found only in the tropical areas of South America, are piranhas really as nasty as rumored? Well, the answer to this chilling question is "not really."
 
2     There are about 12 different species of piranhas, and the one that we are the most familiar with is the red-bellied piranha or the red piranha. Surprisingly, as ferocious as they are believed to be, not all types of piranhas are meat-eaters! Some of them simply rely on their razor sharp teeth and powerful jaws to crack fruits and seeds that fall into the water. For the types that do eat meat like red-bellied piranhas, they often attack animals smaller than themselves, such as other fish, frogs, insects, or birds. Piranhas don't usually attack a large animal unless they are very hungry, or the victim is weak or injured. In fact, the Indians of South America have been known to swim in rivers full of piranhas without getting bitten even once.
 
3     So, why do piranhas stir so much fear when its name is mentioned? Interestingly, this legend can be traced all the way back to President Theodore Roosevelt. In his book "Through the Brazilian Wilderness" published in 1914, he described his horrifying encounter with piranhas. What the President saw were schools of piranhas, trapped and starving, attacking a bleeding cow that was thrown into the water by a tour guide. Ever since then, piranhas have established their reputation to be bloodthirsty, aggressive, and fierce.
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