![]() The fish is known for having a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Their feeding behavior revolves around "bite events," the Michigan website says, "with each event containing a number of individual bites, which is similar to the feeding behavior observed in true piranhas." If one pacu is a nuisance, multiple pacus are a problem. Still, the animals are omnivores - and their appetite grows with their size. In reality, the red-bellied pacu and related species actually rely on nuts and seeds from fruit trees and plants as a main food source, according to Animal Diversity Web, a project by the University of Michigan's school of zoology. "It's not normal to get your testicles bitten off, of course, but it can happen, especially now in Sweden," fish expert Henrik Carl said at the time, although he warned that people were still more likely to die from drowning than from a pacu attack. That dubious distinction prompted warnings for skinny-dippers in Scandinavia after one of the fish was caught in the wild in 2013. I'd say every couple of years we get a report."Īnyone who catches a pacu should keep the fish and contact a game warden, Adams said.Īlong with its creepy appearance, the pacu has a troubling nickname: "the ball cutter," a label that stems from its purported habit of attacking men's testicles. It warned that pacu can grow to sizes up to 3.5 feet and 88 pounds.Īs for whether the invasive pacu is becoming more common in Oklahoma, Kelly Adams, a communication and education supervisor at the agency, told NPR, "This is not an increasing trend. "These fish are generally harmless to humans, but the practice of dumping unwanted pets in waterways can be incredibly harmful to native wildlife," the wildlife agency said via Facebook. Charlie follows in the footsteps of Kennedy Smith of Lindsay, Okla., who caught a pacu five years ago. Not only is this not the first pacu caught in Oklahoma - it's not the first time one's been hooked by an 11-year-old in the state. When asked what kind of bait Charlie used to entice the pacu to bite, his mother said, "You're going to laugh. "IDK WE DIDN'T MAKE THEM," the wildlife agency replied. "WHY DOES IT HAVE HUMAN TEETH," a dismayed commenter asked. "How dare you," the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said, addressing the fish's previous owner via Twitter and setting off a lively exchange with surprised members of the public. Game wardens believe the pacu was a pet that outgrew its tank and was released into the wild. The wildlife agency blames a pet owner for the pacu's presence Game wardens believe the fish was a pet that outgrew its tank and was released into the wild. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Charlie Clinton, 11, holds the pacu he caught. "I told him we'd make it look like the fish was smiling so you could see its teeth." I think that's a heck of a prize and he deserves it," she said. "If he catches it again, we're going to get it mounted for him. If Charlie succeeds, a neighbor has offered to eat the pacu. "He did stay at the ponds pretty late that night trying to catch it again," Janna said, adding that her son has been rising early and staying at the pond late, hoping to get another bite from that pacu. Since then, Charlie has been stalking the fish. People who later recognized the fish said it was invasive and shouldn't be released, she said, adding, "We made a mistake there." "It's a catch and release pond," Janna said, "so we unfortunately did release it back because we didn't know any better at the time." But before learning of its provenance, they returned the pacu to the water. ![]() The Clintons posted a photo of the unusual fish to their neighborhood Facebook page and got in touch with a game warden. ![]() The pacu was released back into the water "He was the only one down there fishing and he did a great job." "He said it put up a heck of a fight," Janna told NPR, saying her son reeled the fish in on his own. The pacu is a native of South America, but this one was swimming in a small pond in the Clintons' suburb north of Oklahoma City. It turned out that Charlie had landed a pacu, a fish that's a cousin of the piranha - and whose outsized teeth have long struck fear in swimmers. "Obviously being in a neighborhood pond, we're used to just catching a few bass or catfish," she said. Then she got a close look at Charlie's alarmingly weird catch. "I thought he was just being dramatic, to be honest," she added. "He was screaming, 'Oh my God, mom! Oh my God!' " Clinton told NPR. Janna Clinton was sitting on her back porch watching her son Charlie, 11, fish in a pond behind their house in Oklahoma this past weekend when he suddenly started yelling for her. ![]()
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