Original story at news.com.au
SWEDISH men have been warned to avoid nude bathing after a species of fish known for attacking testicles has been found locally.
Jaws! These cousins of piranha, pacu (Serrasalminae family) are native to South America and can grow to 90 centimetres. Photo: The Natural History Museum of Denmark
A 21-centimetre pacu was caught by fisherman in the Oresund Sound last week.
The fish, a relative of the piranha, is known for its attacks on male genitalia and has been nicknamed the “ball cutter” in its native South America.
There are even reports of fishermen who have bled to death after losing their testicles to the fish, which can grow to 90 centimetres and weigh up to 25 kilos.
“Keep your swimwear on if you’re bathing in the Sound these days – maybe there are more out there!” Henrik Carl, a fish expert at the Danish museum, told Swedish news site The Local.
“They bite because they’re hungry, and testicles sit nicely in their mouth,” Carl said.
“And its mouth is not so big, so of course it normally eats nuts, fruit, and small fish, but human testicles are just a natural target.”
Although native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, they have also been found in Papua New Guinea and Texas, where officials reportedly put a bounty of $100 on a nuisance pacu spotted in a lake there.
The one caught off the Swedish coast is currently undergoing DNA tests to confirm its identity.
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