'Testicle-Eating' Pacu Fish Found In New Jersey

[FarCenter]

A fish known as a Pacu — with strange human-looking teeth and known for reports that they eat testicles — has turned up about 10 miles from New York City, according to NorthJersey.com.
The fish is native to South America, but was caught on Sunday in Passaic, a town in Northern New Jersey. The 10-inch fish was caught by Tom Boylan on Sunday while he was fishing.

The fish is actually much less dangerous than its piranha cousins, and doesn't generally have an appetite for flesh. According to LiveScience's Megan Gannon:

... its teeth are used mainly to crush nuts and fruits, the pacu eats other fish and invertebrates and there have been some reports of human attacks. In Papua New Guinea, the invasive species has reportedly earned a reputation as the "ball-cutter" after castrating a couple of local fishermen.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pacu-found-in-new-jersey-2013-9

[Aerows]

1. We had some of those growing up in a tank as a kid

They would come to the surface and eat hamburger meat. Until they got so big we had to donate them to the Aquarium of the Americas. They outgrew a 200 gallon tank that had before held tiger Oscars just fine. Even the cat was scared of them.

[Cali_Democrat]

2. So is this a fish that specifically seeks out testicles to munch on?

Doesn't sound pleasant.

I'm closing my legs as I type this.

[Aerows]

4. They are pretty cool pets

they bob to the surface and like to get "rubbed". Of course, you have to make sure you feed them first.

[jberryhill]

7. "they bob to the surface and like to get "rubbed""

The fish? Or the testicles?

[Aerows]

10. They come to the surface and you can "pet" them

I'm absolutely serious. Oscars exhibit this behavior, too, but Pacu's do it a lot more. Like I said, though, feed them first, because kids have lost fingers doing it before feeding the fish first.

The cat stuck his paw in the tank once. ONCE.

[jberryhill]

16. Oh, okay, by "them" you mean the fish

Got it.

I thought you were talking about the testicles.

[Aerows]

21. Sorry, not my cup of tea

But you are welcome to as many sets of testicles as you like!

[jberryhill]

22. Loose leaf or in tea bags?

[Aerows]

25. Whichever you like

All to your taste, and not to mine!

[jmowreader]

65. Plecostomus catfish will do it too

I used to have a couple of Jack Dempseys that also liked being petted.

Pacu shouldn't be sold. They grow to an unmanageable size and no one will eat them.

[Historic NY]

70. My goldfish do that...

all five will come up to be fed at the same time they like contact...makes for an interesting feeding session. Now if I can break them of the habit of throwing the large gravel at the glass tank to get my attention.

[Aerows]

73. Goldfish aren't dumb

And neither are most fish kept ornamentally, because they are pets. These just happen to be a hell of a lot more aggressive than most.

[Warren DeMontague]

75. ***

[msanthrope]

8. Which explains their affinity for testicles. nt

[Aerows]

11. LOL

I don't know about that. They just go for anything dangling and available. They are voracious eaters. And get confused with piranhas easily.

[TheCowsCameHome]

17. Which make cool pets - testicles, or the fish?

Disclaimer. I don't have a fish.

[Aerows]

19. The fish, silly

They really were cool, they just got huge.

[A HERETIC I AM]

23. Epic subthread.

Truly.

[Aerows]

27. I know.

I'm trying to be instructional and this entire subthread just went completely out of control. LMAO.

[Cali_Democrat]

36. Rubbed like a little doggie?

Awww....that's cute.

[Aerows]

37. Yes, and Tiger Oscars exhibit the same behavior

with less risk because they are smaller. It's really sweet when they do it. It's like having a dear little puppy in the tank, but be careful, because while both breeds are smart, they are still fish. It's still sweet as heck when they do it.

[Chan790]

33. Their natural in-the-wild diet is mostly fleshy fruits and nuts.

Testes look like food and the fish ain't that picky. They're not going to go out of their way to eat your balls...you just don't want to encounter them naked or have one swim up your shorts. Wear underwear or a speedo and you won't have any problems.

[bunnies]

44. Testes look like nuts?

Go figure.

[A HERETIC I AM]

67. "These are cola nuts. They grow here. These are uncola nuts."

[bunnies]

74. omg!

I remember that!!!

[reddread]

3. thats nothing next to the Candiru Catfish

Pretty sure their victims would give their left nut for a Pacu instead.
ouch.

[Aerows]

5. Not so sure of that

Pacu's don't leave much of anything behind when they eat. There's a reason why they often get misidentified as piranha.

[reddread]

15. Well its probably only an issue for skinny dippers

Candirus are small enough to find their way upstream into a urinary tract past a suit, I suppose you know the rest.
Besides, what can a Pacu do to a woman?
Piranhas (pir-an-ya as George S Myers spelled it out) are big babies.
Pacus just get huge.
People that dump their unwanted aquarium monsters are serious threats to the planet.
Someday all we will have is goldfish out there.

[quinnox]

6. *Shivers*

[Aerows]

9. This is the kind we had, and it is identical

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaractus_brachypomus

They are pretty awesome and scary all at that same time.

[FarCenter]

12. Interesting that they are kept as pets

Probably explains why one was in the Passaic. Would they survive the winter? But maybe power plant outflows keep some areas warm enough for them.

[Aerows]

13. I'm kind of surprised they can live in water that cold, too

They typically need warm waters, but they are very pretty fish, and can get HUGE, so maybe the increased body fat and lowered surface area helps them survive in chillier waters.

[reddread]

24. surface to volume you meant

they can probably survive anywhere that offers water temps above the low 50's year round. shallows and stratification probably make that possible in many localities. Tuna certainly have some interesting vascular tricks going on. Maybe other large fish do also?

[Aerows]

29. Yes, that's what I meant

I was too busy blushing about everyone teasing me about rubbing the fish and how it relates to testicles that I got flustered. But yes, they get big, and I would assume that as it takes longer for a glacier to melt than it takes an ice cube, these guys can survive. Not to mention they can be vicious as hell.

[reddread]

34. sensitive to low oxygen conditions.

recall a former housemate throwing his dead pacu away after an extended power outage while all of mine just made it.
tanks largely to a friends heroic effort at bringing a power generator a few hours before power was restored.

[Aerows]

38. VERY

They are highly sensitive to low oxygen. Maybe that is why they are thriving in river conditions.

[Scootaloo]

31. Fish are surprisingly durable

They likely won't breed in Jersey, but they can definitely live there. But then... maybe they will breed, and a new invasive species is made!

I remember catching an oscar cichlid while fishing in Falls Lake in North Carolina when I was seven. Woulda bene nice to keep him, as we had a huge tank already... but the hook had torn up his inner jaws.

By the by, waste not want not - feral oscar doesn't taste too bad.

[Aerows]

41. Cichlids are awesome

Which one was yours? I've kept Green Terrors, Tiger Oscars (my favorite) and some African ones.

[Scootaloo]

45. It was a tiger oscar

I wish I had room at my place for a tank... Or a supplier that wasn't a ferry ride and drive away I miss my aquariums

[Aerows]

48. I love Tiger Oscars

Friendly fish, and as long as there is adequate aeration in the tank, pretty hardy. And friendly. They display the behavior of coming to the top of the tank to get stroked by their people after being fed.

[Scootaloo]

49. Yeah, we got one after I caught that guy

He wound up making threat displays at anyone who approached the tank, except my mom, who he would let pet him. We named him Grouch, because we're not clever people

[Aerows]

51. Feed them regularly

and they adore you as much as a fish possibly can .

They do like to be petted after you have fed them, it reminds them of some sort of maternal thing with fish. I don't know. I just know all cichlids display such behavior and Pacu and Tiger Oscars the most.

They aren't fish for the faint hearted, though.

Because you could lose a finger.

[kestrel91316]

60. I used to breed Kribensis. Until the Northridge quake, lol.

[Aerows]

61. They are so small, they don't make it in the yearbook

Pacus and Tigers are seriously pets. You can train them to eat balls of feed.

[reddread]

62. they train you

Oscars are said to be as smart as "smart" dogs in terms of some IQ scoring, or other appraisal, apparently.
Strangely, after decades and thousands of cichlids, I only really ever had one, George.
George would jump clear out of the tank for snails.
Cant believe I never had another, but there are just so many incredible species to keep and breed.
Dovii a particular favorite.
Pacus? They just know how to eat and grow.
Mastacembelids are very intelligent as well.
Many fish, and other aquatics will dazzle a careful observer with their intelligence and numerous methods of
communicating, including the things you simply cant see.
Absolutely nothing ever came close to this Octopus I had.
that was out of this world.
They can do the most amazing things with their surface texture and coloration.
We dont have anything on them in terms of communication technology.

[Aerows]

64. My Oscars were pretty smart.

I'm not going to label them as brilliant, because they were smart, but not brilliant. The Pacu's? They were scare the shit out of you brilliant and you were thankful they didn't get out of the tank or were a species that tried.

[reddread]

66. tell me more

what did they do that wasnt driven by the desire to eat?
Oscars truly are rated highly, Mastacembelids also.
You can just look at one and see that sob's wheels spinning.

[Aerows]

68. Well now, driven by the desire to eat

nothing. Those fish could be tamed as long as food was present.

So I guess you are right. Tiger Oscars can get genuinely attached to people, as can Green Terror cichlids.

[Aerows]

69. They do like to please their owner. The float up to the top and "rub" themselves on them.

They can be taught tricks by the person they get attached to. Make no mistake, they DO get attached.

[reddread]

71. I can imagine

I dont really know too many stupid fish. Even my chubby favorite Electric Catfish probably has shocking thought processes.

[Aerows]

72. She could follow my finger for seconds and practically

play tic tac toe. She was a humongous Pacu, though.

[Aerows]

39. I've NEVER seen one that was shy and retiring

I don't know what the author of that article was smoking, but they are aggressive, huge, and ... kind of friendly, too. I cried when we had to give Sinbad up. He outgrew the tank. He was gorgeous and went to the Aquarium of the Americas he was so damn huge after he outgrew a 500 gallon tank at the fish store.

He's probably gone now, but he was MAGNIFICENT. He was a neat fish. He was afraid of nothing.

[gopiscrap]

14. Yikes sounds like the making of a Sci Fi flick to me

[PADemD]

35. Or an episode of River Monsters

http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/river-monsters/videos/the-nutcracker-fish.htm

[gopiscrap]

47. Yeah no kidding

[Aerows]

50. Anyone taking them for granted that they won't

bite viciously is fooling themselves. They are named "false piranha" and can be tamed in a tank, but they get humongous, which is a problem. I loved mine, but I'd stick my finger in his tank when he was hungry as soon as I would advertise to lose a limb. They can be very sweet, but they are still fish and must be fed heavily to let that come out in them.

[Aerows]

18. Now that I think about it, it could be this guy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossoma_macropomum

He gets past 70 lbs if he has enough to eat. He could probably survive the cold waters and is big enough to threaten a human's dangly bits, EASILY. All Pacu are kind of scary, though LOL.

[BlueJazz]

20. .

[Aerows]

30. The cat wasn't enthusiastic about going near the fish tank after that

It didn't *hurt* him, or injure him permanently, but he was not interested in going there anymore.

[BlueJazz]

32. I'm glad. I like kitties. Apparently the cartoon cat is a slow learner!

[Aerows]

42. One encounter with Sinbad the Pacu

and even a slow learner becomes a quick one LMAO.

[steve2470]

26. greatttt something else to worry about !

*puts on stainless steel jockstrap under suit*

[Aerows]

55. I'm thinking as long as you don't swim nude with it all hanging out

You will be fine.

[steve2470]

56. good thinkin !

[Aerows]

57. Don't offer them a target, that they will most certainly take.

You have it right, don't offer it. Is it so hard to keep it in boxers and swimming trunks?

[steve2470]

58. under normal circumstances, no....but accidents have happened to me lol

Thank God there were no pacu fish around lol

I know, I know, TMI

[Warren DeMontague]

76. Sure, if you run around offering your nuts to every Charlie, Nemo and Flounder

You're asking for trouble.

[House of Roberts]

28. Feed Chris Christie to it.

He's a big enough testicle.

It'll grow old and die without ever having to eat again.

[Aerows]

43. Probably not

They eat a LOT. Though Christie is big.

We probably shouldn't be calculating how many Pacu's it takes to eat Christie, or how many days it takes for one to eat him.

It is rather ... ugly.

[FarCenter]

46. Lonegan first as an appetizer

[Glassunion]

40. Carp e gruesome

[JEFF9K]

52. Maybe Republican chickenhawks can use this for an excuse.

[underpants]

53. First Lorena Bobbit and now this

[Aerows]

54. They really aren't that bad

they probably just went skinny dipping and it looked inviting to them, since they eat fruits, nuts and such.

[Buns_of_Fire]

59. The article says they've also been reported in Illinois.

Where another invasive fish, the Jumping Asian Carp, also hang out.

So, when they interbreed pretty soon, we're gonna wind up with giant fish that jump into the boat and eat your balls.

I'm always in awe of the endless wonders of Mother Nature.

[Aerows]

63. Let me state that if there are Pacu in your swimming place

make sure you are NOT swinging free. They can be friendly and curious. Too curious. And have a set of jaws you don't want to mess with.

[GReedDiamond]

77. Here's one...

[FarCenter]

78. Nice!

[GReedDiamond]

79. See next post for more cogent response...

Last edited Sat Sep 28, 2013, 12:05 AM - Edit history (1)

...thanks.

[GReedDiamond]

80. Thanks...

...it's an airbrush painting on canvas I did several years ago.

I'd probably make some changes to it, if I could.