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Piranha! For most people, the name sparks horror-movie images of vicious schools of fish that can reduce a human to a skeleton in minutes.
But do they really deserve this fearsome reputation? Piranhas are freshwater fish that are found in rivers and floodplains of South America. The most well-known species is the red-bellied piranha, but there are nearly forty other different species of piranha.
然而它們真的配得上這樣恐怖的名聲嗎？食人魚是一種淡水魚類，多發現于河流及南美澇原上。最出名的種群莫過于紅肚水虎魚，不過水虎魚的種類其實有大約四十種。
They aren't very large, but do have a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and a strong jaw. So it may surprise you to learn that piranhas are not the bloodthirsty killers portrayed in films. They aren't even strict carnivores!
Most piranha species are omnivores and scavengers. Their diet is mostly made of insects and other fish, but also plants. During the rainy season when food is plentiful, piranhas eat more plants and insects. But in the dry season when ponds and rivers dry up and food becomes more scarce, piranha turn to meat-eating, usually in the form of other fish. Piranhas occasionally bite humans or other mammals when very hungry or threatened, but serious attacks are extremely rare.
大多種類的食人魚是雜食動物、食腐動物。它們多以昆蟲以及其它魚類為食，但也吃植物。在雨季食物豐富時，食人魚多數吃植物和昆蟲。遇上旱季河流和湖泊干涸時，食物變得匱乏，食人魚就開始吃肉，基本上是吃其他魚類。但在饑餓或者受到威脅時，食人魚偶爾會攻擊人類或其他哺乳動物，但很少出現嚴重襲擊事件。
Another common belief is that piranha form large schools for hunting, allowing them to attack larger prey than a single fish could. However, researchers found that piranha most likely group together as a defense against such predators as river dolphins, caimans and bigger fish, and not to engage in feeding-frenzies.
So while piranha may not win your hearts with cuddly good looks, they are probably more victim than vicious.
