When you buy through links on our site , we may earn an affiliate charge . Here ’s how it crop .
A South American fish with uncannily man - alike chompers has been circumstantially show up on Michigan anglers ' hooks .
The Pisces arered - belly out pacus(Piaractus brachypomus ) and are piranha congener , though their dieting is mostly vegetarian . Pacus are democratic with aquarium proprietor for their strange straight teeth that see remarkably human — rather disturbingly so , in fact . But recently , pacus have been spy in places where they should n’t be : Lake St. Clair and Port Huron in southeastern Michigan , where three pacus were caught during the month of July .
Smile! Pacus use their disturbingly human-like teeth for cracking open seeds and nuts.
The pacus were almost certainly introduce into the lakes by former owner who kept them as pets , according to a statementreleased Aug. 9 by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources ( DNR ) . [ pic : The Freakiest - Looking Fish ]
Pacus are aboriginal to the Amazon and Orinoco river basinful and flood plains . Their flattened bodies resemble those of their sharp - toothedpiranha cousins , but their own distinctive tooth are used for crushing seeds and nuts . Pacus can grow to be about 35 inches ( 89 centimeter ) in length , and pet possessor may be dismayed to find that their exotic pet can outgrow its cooler , which can remind them to release the Pisces in the wild , harmonise to the DNR .
Warm temperatures are full of life to the pacus ' survival of the fittest , so they are improbable to become established as aninvasive speciesin Michigan ’s seasonally cold piddle . However , resign pets in the wild is not only harmful to the animals and likely to result in their demise , but could have severe implications for native wildlife and ecosystem , DNR officials said in the affirmation .
Pacus have been found in Michigan water system before , but this is the first time that citizenry have caught three of them in one week , according to Nick Popoff , a life scientist with the Fisheries Division at the DNR . Popoff tell Live Science that it ’s possible the three fish came from a single armoured combat vehicle that was dump in a public access site .
" Pacus ' temperature necessity are tropic , and Michigan is not a tropic state , " Popoff said . " They ’re not hold out to be capable to come through our winters , so we do n’t debate them incursive . We ’re interested with this because it highlights the matter of pet owners relinquish their pets into the wild . "
Goldfish have also been unfreeze into Michigan lakes by their owners , but unlike the pacu , they survive twelvemonth - round and are successfully breeding .
" We have multiply populations of goldfish in Lake Erie and Lake St. Claire . " Popoff explained . " They ’re an example of an aquarium electric pig over sentence that has created a naturally reproduce universe ofnon - native fish . "
In addition to Michigan , at least 26 other states in the U.S. have reported pacu capture in the wild , the DNR said .
" incursive mintage are highly prejudicial — to Michigan , the Great Lakes , even globally . But the subject matter here is more about individual responsibility , " Popoff told Live Science . " bring out that Pisces into the wild — you ’re killing it , even if you do n’t think you are . "
Original article onLive Science .
