# Piranha CAUGHT IN CALIFORNIA



## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> Boy hooks piranha impostor in Hercules lake
> By Luke Stangel
> CONTRA COSTA TIMES
> Contra Costa Times
> ...


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## GN121406 (Jul 28, 2007)

Stupid Pacus!!


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## serra_keeper (Jun 12, 2007)

go frank!!! defend our piranhas!


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## the REASON (Jun 18, 2006)

> "To make a long story short, we're trying to catch piranhas out here," Esquivel said. "I brought some raw hamburger meat and we're putting it out on hooks."


idiots.









nice work frank.


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2007)

Nice







, lets just hope more people will understand that they are pacus instead of piranhas. Yet I wouldn't be suprised if a few weeks later another will be misidentified.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

why are pacus even legal or arnt by permit only so that if a responsible keeper wants one he can get a permit? so peopl dont buy a 2 inch pacu at a walmart (some walmarts actually sold pacus) thinking its cool but not knowing it will not stay small very long

i think that in places like cali only rbp's and pacus should be illigal since they are both cheap and get to large and ar dumped where as any other piranha that is too big for an aquarium is sold since people dont just throw away a 10 inch rhom, piraya, caribe or anything else besides reds and pacus since they are both under 10$


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> sean-820 Posted Today, 06:34 PM
> why are pacus even legal or arnt by permit only so that if a responsible keeper wants one he can get a permit? *so peopl dont buy a 2 inch pacu at a walmart (some walmarts actually sold pacus) thinking its cool but not knowing it will not stay small very long*
> 
> i think that in places like cali only rbp's and pacus should be illigal since they are both cheap and get to large and ar dumped where as any other piranha that is too big for an aquarium is sold since people dont just throw away a 10 inch rhom, piraya, caribe or anything else besides reds and pacus since they are both under 10$


Because Wal-Mart have signs that state pacu only grow 4 inchs TL. They are using old, outdated books by Innes to illustrate the fish and size. I've tried to correct our local wal-mart but their "expert" won't change the sign even after I told them who I represent.


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## Doktordet (Sep 22, 2006)

Since pacus and piranhas have similar (if not the same) habitat in the wild, what are the chances of pacus surviving freezing winters? Ps most likely wont. But are pacus any different?


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

As I stated in the article, they've been found alive at 47F much lower temperature than piranhas. Let me clarify that, S. spilopleura (aka S. maculatus) is found further south than Pygocentrus in the colder areas. But pacus are more dominant during the kill off (winters).


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## Doktordet (Sep 22, 2006)

hastatus said:


> As I stated in the article, they've been found alive at 47F much lower temperature than piranhas. Let me clarify that, S. spilopleura (aka S. maculatus) is found further south than Pygocentrus in the colder areas. But pacus are more dominant during the kill off (winters).


thats incredible for them to be able to tolerate lower temps than pygocentrus does despite them sometimes being in the same ecosystem.


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## rstone1219 (Jul 17, 2007)

So how cold would it have to be to kill of piranha's in the winter time?


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> Rick Posted Today, 07:39 PM
> So how cold would it have to be to kill of piranha's in the winter time?


Kill off in Uruguay is approxiately 55-57F.


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## rstone1219 (Jul 17, 2007)

hastatus said:


> > Rick Posted Today, 07:39 PM
> > So how cold would it have to be to kill of piranha's in the winter time?
> 
> 
> Kill off in Uruguay is approxiately 55-57F.


Thanks


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

For those that don't know California law origin. A pet dealer went to court over his confiscated piranhas in the middle or late 1960's. It was Herbert R. Axelrod testimony that caused the piranha to be banned along with other official testimony. With Axelrod, he stated he caught piranhas in iced over lakes. To this day, no one knows where Axelrod caught these "piranhas". I'm not saying Axelrod lied or made something up. But none of his assertions with people that I know that live in South America in the cold regions could verify finding piranhas in such a state of existence, much less catching them.


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## Defuser (Jul 27, 2007)

Though pacus are tricky suckers


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## [email protected]° (Jun 16, 2004)

hastatus said:


> > Rick Posted Today, 07:39 PM
> > So how cold would it have to be to kill of piranha's in the winter time?
> 
> 
> Kill off in Uruguay is approxiately 55-57F.


They have Piranha's in Uraguay??

I have a few friends from Uraguay and they said they didn't have any piranha's there....


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> They have Piranha's in Uraguay??
> 
> I have a few friends from Uraguay and they said they didn't have any piranha's there....


Are they city dwellers? Yes, there are piranhas. Pygocentrus nattereri, S. spilopleura (=S. maculatus) and S. marginatus.

Have your friends visit these areas for Serrasalmus species:

Rio Uruguay, praia La Agraciada

I need to check the record for Pygocentrus, but a while back one of the sponsors here was selling Green P. nattereri that was coming in from Uruguay.


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

Way to go Frank!!!


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

I wish something like this was published with every pacu catching story, instead of the usual "its a piranha!" Not only stating that it was a pacu, but stating that most of these cases are, and why, was a nice touch.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> Jayson745 Posted Today, 10:49 AM
> I wish something like this was published with every pacu catching story, instead of the usual "its a piranha!" Not only stating that it was a pacu, but stating that most of these cases are, and why, was a nice touch.


For my part, I'm doing what I can. In this particular case, the reporter contacted me for an ID prior to the story being released. F&W did not know what it was and had it sent to their lab. The reporter sent me several photos of the fish to examine. Often times, I'm asked to ID a fish AFTER its been published so this is refreshing having it done this way. In the last month or so, 3 more pacu vs piranha have been caught. I support banning pacus, particularly genus Piaractus and Colossoma.


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## cueball (May 24, 2005)

i dont get it why is it always a pacu?? can thay stand the winters that piranhas cant? or just that theres so many dam unwanted pacu's out there?


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

Both are true to an extent...


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## wartooth (May 11, 2007)

I'm glad they at least mentioned: "Pacus can survive in fresh water as cold as 47 degrees, and could conceivably thrive in the warmer California water south of Santa Barbara, Magallanes said. Piranhas are more delicate, and require warmer water."


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## [email protected]° (Jun 16, 2004)

hastatus said:


> > They have Piranha's in Uraguay??
> >
> > I have a few friends from Uraguay and they said they didn't have any piranha's there....
> 
> ...


I think they lived near the coast, cause they showed me some pics of a beach they used to go to that they said was not too far from where they lived...

Next year we are all supposed to take a trip to Uraguay with them.

I will find some way to get to the rivers and see what I can catch...

Green Natts would be pretty cool!!!


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