Watch What Happens When a Man Picks Up This Piranha and Puts Something In Its Mouth

They’re seen as fierce fish that can devour flesh in mere seconds, leaving nothing but bones floating in the water. But in reality, they’re not quite as vicious as they’ve been portrayed. They do, however, have an interesting set of teeth that allows them to bite effectively. In the video below, you see how a piranha’s bite functions close up!

Watch the Video Below!

What Is a Piranha?

Piranhas are fish! They are carnivorous and have distinctive razor-sharp teeth. Movies have exaggerated the danger of these fish, often depicting them as aggressive flesh eaters. However, they often snack on plant material and scavenge instead of kill. There are different types of piranhas and most stay under two feet long. They have different colorations as well, with some appearing more silvery while others are nearly all black. Their heads are rather blunt, and their jaws are surprisingly powerful. Their teeth are triangular, which makes their bites function much like scissors.

Is It Safe to Handle a Piranha?

According to the New England Aquarium, red-bellied piranhas aren’t typically dangerous to people. In fact, in the Amazon, the natives often swim alongside these fish. When piranhas have plenty of food sources, they don’t seek food outside of their usual diet. However, when the dry season comes around and food is not as bountiful, piranhas can pose more of a risk.

Man Puts Stick in Piranha’s Mouth

When the video below starts, a man is holding a piranha in his left hand. In his right hand, he is holding a small stick. He places the tip of the stick in the piranha’s mouth and in a split second, the piranha chomps through it, effectively cutting off the tip. At this moment, you can appreciate the triangular shape of the piranha’s teeth and can see just how swiftly it can cut through a twig. The people watching the scene are amused and laugh in the background.

The man keeps holding the piranha and the stick, again trying to get the piranha to bite. This time, you get a closer look from the front as the man places the stick back in the piranha’s mouth. With another quick crunch, the piranha has yet another little piece of stick in its mouth. The piranha responds yet again when the stick gets close and chomps down, demonstrating its ability to bite and cut like a pair of scissors!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © The Jungle Explorer/Shutterstock.com