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ronnienl

Red-bellied piranha

Pygocentrus nattereri. Photographed at the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Sucumbíos province.

Red-bellied piranha
ronnienl, 1 Sep 2018
    • DavidBrown
      Did it try to eat your hand?
      22 Aug 2020
    • Chlidonias
      @DavidBrown I think this photo may have been taken during the UPP of 2018 when the piranha were so common at Cuyabeno that you could grab them right out of the air. The locals wore full chainlink body-suits any time they had to go outside.
      22 Aug 2020
    • DavidBrown
      @Chlidonias Thanks for the explanation. Does UPP stand for "Upsetting Piranha Pandemic"?
      22 Aug 2020
    • Chlidonias
      @DavidBrown - very nearly! "Unprecedented Piranha Pandemic" was the official title. Smaller outbreaks were known as UPS ("Unprecedented Piranha Swarms"). The citizens of Cuyabeno got through it despite the presence of people claiming it was a hoax and refusing to wear chainmail suits. Those people are no longer with us.
      22 Aug 2020
    • ronnienl
      Luckily it was the hand of our guide, but it was bite happy indeed. Our guide was the local UPP expert, and was indeed specialized in catching piranha midair. Wearing the chainmail suit was quite the hassle during my 5 day stay in Cuyabeno, but it was worth it.
      22 Aug 2020
      DavidBrown and Chlidonias like this.
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  • Category:
    Ecuador - Wildlife
    Uploaded By:
    ronnienl
    Date:
    1 Sep 2018
    View Count:
    615
    Comment Count:
    5

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