Red-bellied piranha

"Red-bellied piranhas eat not only fish and meat but occasionally algae and aquatic plants."

Roodbuikpiranha

  • Pygocentrus nattereri

    Scientific name

  • Rivieren en meren van Zuid-Amerika

    Habitat

  • Vis, aas, insecten, weekdieren en planten

    Food

  • 10 - 15 jaar

    Lifetime

  • 3,5 kilo

    Weight

  • 30 centimeter

    Length

  • 5000 eieren

    Number of youngsters

  • 2 tot 3 dagen

    Incubation time

  • Niet onderzocht

    IUCN Status

  • Nee

    EEP

Wist je dat?

  • 20

    with so many swimming the red-bellied piranhas in a school

  • 15

    years, that's how old this piranha species can get

  • 30

    centimeters, that's how big the red-bellied piranha can get

Lots of young piranhas

Before laying eggs, the male of the red-bellied piranha makes a nest. He does this by making a pit at the bottom of the river. Females lay up to 5,000 eggs at a time. These eggs stick to each other and to aquatic plants. After just one week, the eggs hatch.

Bad reputation

Piranhas have sharp teeth. With these, they eat mostly fish. Many people think piranhas are dangerous. Yet it happens very rarely that they attack people. No human has ever been killed by piranhas.

Want to know more about IUCN status or the EEP? Clickhere.