Did you know that deep in the Amazon lives a fish that looks just like a piranha but has teeth that are strangely similar to ours? It’s called the Pacu fish, and it’s full of surprises! Let’s dive into some incredible facts about these amazing creatures.
The Pacu fish has human-like teeth that have evolved due to a high proportion of nuts in their diet. pic.twitter.com/yqS3WYz9y2
— Weird Animals (@Weird_AnimaIs) January 23, 2022
Human-Like Teeth:
While most fish have sharp teeth, the Pacu fish has teeth that are surprisingly similar to our own. Pacus are known to have rows of incisors and molariform teeth. They have flat, square-shaped teeth called “molariform,” which are great for crushing and grinding their favorite foods like nuts, seeds, and fruits. Pacu Fish are related to Piranhas and they belong to the Characiformes order.
The Pacu fish has human-looking teeth, which it uses for grinding up seeds of nuts they find floating on the surface of the water. (Image: Nisamanee wanmoon) pic.twitter.com/6vExJVeGSR
— Quite Interesting (@qikipedia) April 4, 2020
Surprising eaters:
Despite their scary teeth, Pacu fish are highly likely to include plant-based things in their diet. They love to munch on plants and are really good at cracking open tough shells to get to their food. Since they are related to Piranhas, they tend to eat the meat of small species too. But the tendency to is very low.
Big and Heavy:
Pacu fish can grow to be as long as three feet and weigh over 50 pounds. That’s like having a fish as big as a toddler!
The pirapitinga, like many species of pacu, is a fruit-eating fish. It moves into the flooded Amazon forest during the rainy season to feast on seeds and fruits.
— National Aquarium (@NatlAquarium) June 22, 2019
📸 : digitalmig on Instagram pic.twitter.com/dFlVNZvSdS
Travelers of the World:
Pacus are native to tropical and subtropical freshwater ways in South America. They were found initially in the Orinoco and Amazon rivers. But they have traveled far from their home in the Amazon. Pacu fish can even be found in places like Papua New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and the United States.
Famous in Aquariums:
Because of their cool looks and unique teeth, Pacu fish have become popular attractions in aquariums all over the world. People love to see these fish that seem to have teeth just like ours.
#Pacu fish have a single row of teeth, which are very similar to human #teeth! They’re used for grinding, chewing, and cracking as their diet mostly consists of plants, algae, nuts, and fruits. pic.twitter.com/u0hSMejNn4
— Ripley's Aquarium TN (@RipleysAquaGAT) June 28, 2021
Conclusion
The Pacu fish with its human-like teeth is truly amazing and reminds us of the incredible things nature has in store for us.