This is a close relative of the invasive species that might very well be lurking in that lake you’re about to skinny dip in.
Swedish men have been told to keep their swimming trunks on while swimming in the sound off the country’s Southern Coast. The problem is an invasive species of fish commonly found in the Amazon.
The Telegraph reports:
The alert came after a fisherman in the Oresund Sound last week retrieved a 21 centimetre pacu – a relative of the piranha that is most commonly found in the Amazon region.
“Keep your swimwear on if you’re bathing in the Sound these days – maybe there are more out there!” cautioned the National History Museum in neighbouring Denmark.
The freshwater fish, which can grow up to 90 centimetres and weigh up to 25 kilogrammes, has been nicknamed the “ball cutter” for its attacks on the male genitalia.
In areas where pacus proliferate, fishermen have reportedly bled to death after losing their testicles to the fish’s crushing jaws.
But surely, you say, that doesn’t mean anything to men in the US? Well, the Telegraph further reports that:
Discoveries have also been reported in several US states; in 2006, officials at one Texas lake reportedly put a $100 bounty on the pacu caught there.
So, Gentlemen, if you should go swimming this weekend, I urge you to keep your swim trunks on. Sometimes, modesty is the best part of valor.
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