Testicle-eating Fish on the Loose in Sweden

[kellyhound]

update.

scientists say that their warning wasn't intended to be taken seriously, and that it's highly unlikely that swimmers will encounter a pacu, as the fish is called.

"All we said last week (with a smile) was that male swimmers should keep their pants on in case there are more pacus out there in our cold Baltic waters," Peter Rask Møller, a fish expert at Denmark's University of Copenhagen, said in an email.

"Its teeth and powerful bite can for sure be dangerous, but to meet one here and [have it bite you] is highly unlikely, of course."

Lars Skou Olsen, curator of Copenhagen's Blue Planet Aquarium, said that the pacu's predilection for private parts is overblown and probably not even true.

"I think it's just a rumor," Olsen said. "There's no need for swimmers to worry at all. They will be lucky if they see [a pacu]."

The pacu that was found is the only one that has ever been caught in the wild in Scandinavian waters. It was captured on August 4 in the strait of Oresund, which separates Denmark and Sweden, by fisherman Einar Lindgreen, who spotted the red-bellied, big-toothed fish among the eels and perch in his net.

From the creature's size—it was around 8 inches (20 centimeters) long—Olsen thinks it was young, only about a year old.

We asked Olsen, whose aquarium features pacus, to talk more about this attention-grabbing fish.

What does a pacu look like?

Pacus look like piranhas when they're not very old. This individual that was found was young, and it had a red belly and a silver back.

What part of the world does the pacu come from?

They come originally from South America, where they live in the rivers of the Amazonian area.

No one ever thought that a pacu could live in the wild in Denmark, first of all because the water temperature is too low. And no one ever in their minds imagined that it could live in the sea. It's a freshwater fish. It lives in the Amazon River where there's no salt at all. That this fish thrived in the seas is a mystery.

Did the fish that was caught appear sickly?

No, it looked like it was doing really well. It was alive when they caught it, and it was still kicking. But I think in a month or so, it would have died due to the low temperature that will come very soon.

How long do pacus live?

In our aquarium, we have had some pacu fish live for nearly 20 years. They grow very big when they're old, around 20 kilos (44 pounds).

You've said that you don't think the pacu that was caught came from your aquarium because it's too small, and because the facility has fish filters in place to prevent escapes. Where do you think the pacu came from?

My theory is that during the holiday, someone who had the fish in an aquarium at home set it free in the ocean.

Is the sale of pacus legal in Denmark?

Yes, they're sold legally. Only poison fish are banned in Denmark.

Do pacus make good pets?

Yeah, they're excellent pets. The only problem is they grow too big for people's home aquariums. Many people mistake the fish for piranhas, and many pet stores sell them as piranhas.

Often we have people calling us saying they have some piranhas that have grown too big for their tanks. And when you ask them how big the fish are, you know they can't be piranhas.

What do pacus eat?

They eat lots of things, but mainly vegetables, which they love. In the wild, they eat nuts falling down into the water. They have very powerful jaws that they use to crack the nuts. That's no problem for them. They also eat fish. In our aquarium, they eat fish as well as greens.

[rapeWhistle]

[Clusterfucker]

Originally Posted by kellyhound

"I think it's just a rumor," Olsen said. "There's no need for swimmers to worry at all. They will be lucky if they see [a pacu]."

"Stop crying over losing your balls. It was worth it because you saw the pacu."

[Dynamo47]

Actually I think we need to put the Pacu on retainer for convicted child molesters. Just dangle the goods in and let the Pacu take care of the rest. No prison sentence in protective custody. No taxpayers money paying for the fruitless rehab. Let the Pacu take care of it, mend what's left of their wounds and send them on their way.

[PTSD Is My Life]

It can have mine, the ex-wife got me neutered along with her dog and my cats.....all within months of each other. She convinced me that as we had two kids a boy & a girl we needed no more and as it was less complicated for males etc etc and less than a year later she was humping someone else whilst I was out on the Kuwaiti -Iraqi border in 1998......
Military wives spout about how great and how proud they are of their husbands etc but as soon as they are gone way too many succumb to broken knicker elastic and the REMF's who never leave camp or do anything dangerous (apart from fucking their colleagues lonely sad wives).
Fucker thought he was King Billy Big Balls until she told him not to try winding me up as I quote "might rip his face off". Her father told him he must be "really hard, have a death wish or fucking stupid". Me I never told him much other than to get out of HIS house as I was coming round to pick up or drop off my kids and I would sit there for maybe 3,4 or 5 hours and he would stay out all that time, spineless twat! Ex & I got on fine shit happens and we each took on one of the kids (their decision) so that kept things amicable too.
To all the REMF (Rear Echelon Mother Fuckers) out there hanging around in the rear waiting to comfort the lonely wives and girlfriends I hope one of these checkers grabs yer nuts!