Pygocentrus cariba or black spot piranha is a species of piranha endemic to Venezuela and Colombia; specifically, to the Orinoco River basin lowlands and the Llanos region. This species can reach a total length of 27.9 centimetres (11.0 in). It is popular as a game fish.[1]
| Pygocentrus cariba | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Serrasalmidae |
| Genus: | Pygocentrus |
| Species: | P. cariba
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| Binomial name | |
| Pygocentrus cariba (Humboldt, 1821)
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They are a carnivorous species, that feed on a wide variety of fish, carrion, invertebrates, and other aquatic animals.
The name Cariba means cannibal in native language, and comes from the people of the Island Caribs who had a reputation as warriors who raided neighboring islands, and practiced cannibalism, according to the Spanish conquistadors. This species has very high propensity for cannibalism among its species.
References edit
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Pygocentrus cariba" in FishBase. April 2013 version.
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