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PACU - The ‘ball-cutter’ Fish

Habitat in the wild:

 Pacu fish is the largest characin representative in South America. The fish
inhabits in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. The fish is also called
Gamitana, Giant Pacu, Tambaqui.
 Native to the freshwater rivers and streams of the Amazon and Orinoco
basins throughout the Amazon rainforest, the Pacu was introduced to the
Sepik River of New Guinea in 1995 so it could be fished locally in what was
once an unproductive spot.
 It is normally found in South America, but has been recently seen in parts of
the USA, Denmark and even the Seine river in Paris.
 The Pacu fish (Piaractus brachypomus) closely related to piranhas, this
innocuous-looking, red-bellied silver fish harbours a mouth full of great, big,
human-looking teeth.
 The Sepik is the island’s longest river, most of it flowing through the Papua
New Guinean provinces of Sandaun and East Sepik, and some through the
western province of Papua. In 1997, the species was also placed in the Ramu
River in northern PNG.
 As a rule back Pacu prefers solitary. Juveniles feed on phytoplankton,
insects, snails, the adult fishes are mainly herbivorous, they feed on fruits
and other plant food. Juveniles stay in blackwaters up to the time they
become reproductive.
Description:
 Max size is about 108 cm, but usually it’s about 100 cm (40 in) long and it
weights up to 40 kg.
 The lifespan is about 20 years.
 The fish appearance resembles piranha – the body is high, laterally flattened
with big eyes.
 The body color varies from black to gray with some variations.
 About 10% of the fish body mass is fat.
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 The fish has square human-like teeth that makes them incredibly similar to
the human ones.
 Instead of piercing the victim with its teeth and tear it apart, pacu bites its
prey to the bones and tears parts from it, also the fish can easily crack nuts.

The “ball-cutter” fish

 Since 1949, more than 25 species of fish have been introduced in PNG alone
to provide additional sources of food and income for the locals. But where
the pacu is concerned, the introduction hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.
 Not only has the species threatened local populations of fish, but there have
been several reports of nasty injuries to local swimmers due to pacu bites.
 According to a study by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural
Research, “It is nicknamed the ‘ball-cutter’ by the villagers, because on
occasions it has bitten off the testicles of bathing men.”
Pacu fish use teeth for a vegetarian diet
 Not that the pacu shares its piranha cousins’ taste for meat and blood –
pacus are actually entirely vegetarian. In captivity, they eat everything from
lettuce, spinach and carrots to apple, banana, peach, peas and grapes.
 In the waters of New Guinea, they feed on fallen nuts and berries. There have
been rumours that two local men died in 2011 due to a pacu bite to the groin.
 For this reason, when pacu fish appeared in Scandinavian waters in late 2013,
panic ensued, partly due to a joke by biologist Peter Rask Møller from the
University of Copenhagen and the Natural History Museum of Denmark at
the time.

The Disturbing Story of the Pacu "Ball-Cutter" Fish

Written by Curiosity (February 9, 2015)

A fish similar to a piranha, but it weighs 40 kgs and has remarkably human-like teeth
known for accidental nipping, the Pacu fish, aka the "ball-cutter" fish. This South
American freshwater fish earned this nickname for its nasty reputation of targeting
and chomping human testicles by mistake. This confusion occurs because the Pacu
eats fruits and nuts, but will mistake human testicles for its preferred meal. The
Pacu is known as the "vegetarian piranha". They have been at least reported deaths
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by castration caused by the bite of this fish. According to reports, a group of

relocated Pacu of Papua turned carnivorous in 1999 as their usual meals came
harder to come by. The red-bellied Pacu, an invasive species related to the piranha but
with human-like teeth, is known to have bitten off men's testicles, killing at least two
victims. (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pacu-testicle-biting-fish/)

ORIGIN:

 It’s probably safe to say that most people had never heard of the red-bellied
Pacu before press reports came out in 2013 warning Scandinavian men not
to swim nude in the strait of Oresund (a body of water between Denmark
and Sweden) at the risk of losing their testicles to a “fish with human teeth.”
The lurid warnings weren’t just published in northern Europe, but all over
the world.
 “If you are going swimming in Scandinavia,” began a Huffington
Post article dated 11 August 2013, for example, “wear your trunks — no ifs,
ands or nuts”:
 Authorities are warning skinny dippers about the Pacu, a fish similar to the
piranha that really enjoys cracking nuts with its strong jaws. They’ve also
been known to mistake testicles for something nice and crunchy, and they’re
strong enough to take off a finger.
 Fisherman discovered the horrifying little creature, which is native to South
America, in the Danish/Swedish strait of Oresund, CNN reports. The Pacu can
grow to 55 pounds, has giant teeth and looks angry, but is usually the more
friendly cousin of the piranha. That is, until it sees a testicle.
 “The Pacu is not normally dangerous to people but it has quite a serious bite,
there have been incidents in other countries, such as Papua New Guinea
where some men have had their testicles bitten off,” said Henrik Carl, fish
expert at the Danish museum.
With regards to local newspaper reports that people are being killed by the Pacu
Fish, the investigation has revealed the following;
1. Within the area between Korogu village and along the Sepik River to Wagu
village (up river from Ambunti Government Station) only one person was
attacked on his private part. This person required medical treatment and
came from Korogu village. A lady also claimed to have been bitten by the
Pacu on her legs, just above her knees. She had some scars present.
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2. No deaths from the introduced Pacu Fish attacks were reported from Korogu
to Wagu villages.
A passage from the actual report written by National Fisheries Authority
investigator Augustine Mobiha offers somewhat more detail:
 There were reported to be two people killed in the Sepik River area by the
local media. Investigations through talking with local people in the villagers
within the Wagu village to Ambunti station to Korogu villages have indicated
that no people were killed.
 The investigations revealed that four people in Korogu village were
reportedly attacked by fish. One of the four individuals was bitten in the
private parts area of his body and required professional medical attention.
 Two of the four individuals were in the river doing their toilet and were
frightened by a fish but were not bitten. One lady claims she was bitten by
the Pacu fish and has scars on her knee which she claims was from the bites.
 All the fisheries officers from Angorom to Ambunti along the Sepik River
report no deaths due to attacks by the Pacu fish. No individuals from areas
between Angorom and Korogu were interviewed but it is anticipated that
any deaths due to attack by the Pacu fish would be news and would be
known by all officers working in the area.
What's True
The Pacu is a cousin of the piranha; its teeth look somewhat human-like; in 2001,
one male swimmer was reportedly bitten on the genitals and one female swimmer
on the leg by Pacu fish in in Papua New Guinea, but both survived.
What's False
There are no documented instances of Pacu fish biting men's testicles off or of
anyone's dying from a Pacu bite.
William Fink, a piranha researcher at the University of Michigan who is also
curator of fishes at the school’s Museum of Zoology, poured water on the Pacu
warning. For one thing, he said, pacus are vegetarian — and there’s no record of
them attacking a human. He made the following statements:
 “They are fruit eaters. Those big crushing teeth they have is for crushing
seeds”.
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 Pacus tend to swim under fruiting trees during high water, waiting for the
trees to drop their fruit, seeds and nuts. The fish then swim to the surface to
eat the tasty morsels.
 According to Fink, that’s how fishermen catch them: by putting a piece of
fruit on the end of a line and letting it float in the water. Pacus swim up to
grab it and then get caught.
 “The nuts that they’re eating, the fruits that they’re eating, are splashing
down from above, and humans don’t act like that when they’re swimming”.
 And unlike piranhas, which have rigid, razor-sharp interlocking teeth, Pacus
have teeth that resemble human molars and fit together in a similar bite. The
Pacus use those teeth to crush their food, not to rip it apart — or off.
CONCLUSION: Pacu – the ball cutter fish – is a Myth

THE PACU FISH WITH HUMAN LIKE TEETH

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THE RED-BELLIED PACU FISH

SILVER COLOR BIG PACU IN MEXICO FISH MARKET FOR SALE