Piranha Deadly and Delicious

The Amazon is filled with danger. Soldier ants march by the
millions devouring all life in their path. Submerged up to the
eyes, Crocodiles lie in wait for the unwary - whatever or
whoever that may be. Undulating its 20-foot length beneath the
surface, the Anaconda, one of the world\'s largest snakes, uses
heat-seeking guidance to find its next meal. The barbed stinger
in the tail of platter-sized stingrays can inflict a wound that
takes months to heal. But none of these carry the fearsome
mystique of the voracious Piranha, the perfect killing machine.

They had it even before we knew what was happening. My rod bowed
in prayer to something below the tea-colored water\'s surface.
The six-pound test line danced like a cat on a hot pavement. All
hell had broken loose. Beads of sweat rolled down Doris\' back.
Her clothes were now a second skin, clinging to her every move.
We panted for breath. We had fish on. The silvery oval-shaped
body and red belly of a Piranha broke the surface. I reached for
it. \Don\'t let a finger get near their mouths or you\'ll lose
it\, our native guide barked.

Minutes earlier, I shuddered from a breeze escaping from
somewhere up ahead despite 85 degree-plus heat. The double-digit
humidity didn\'t help either. A maddening buzz filled my ears,
but thanks my coating of Vick\'s Vapor Rub, the blood-suckers
wouldn\'t feast on me. My eyes burned. My nose dripped. A
coffee-table-sized leaf or hanging branch slapped into me every
few steps. Curses burst from my lips even with my best efforts
to become as one with the rainforest, as the indian had.

Our fishing rods extended from 18\ to five and a half feet. I\'d
hoped the light mono would suffice, although I\'d squirreled away
spools of twelve and twenty pound test as an afterthought. If we
tagged into a 50-plus pound Tambaqui even that wouldn\'t be
enough. Vines as thick as my wrist dipped into light
coffee-colored waters making little ripples as it slid past
roots and fallen branches. Tangled growth matted the gentle
slope of the bank into tea-with-milk colored wetness. I\'d
flicked a thumbnail-sized chunk of bloody chicken liver on a
barb-less hook with a split shot into a dinner plate-sized swirl
just beside a snarl of mangrove roots jutting upwards through
the surface.

Minutes later, his tanned skin gleaming with moisture, our
guide demonstrated the efficiency of the scissor-like teeth. A
green leaf held near the gaping mouth instantly sported a neat,
crescent-shaped bite. Three heavy blows to the head prepared the
killer for cleaning. After cleaning, the Embera made a series of
diagonal cuts along each side of the fish. Into these he
carefully rubbed a mixture of salt, garlic, and ground roots
from a small gourd he carried. A simple shaved branch frame held
the fish over a smoky fire of glowing coals. The firm toasted
flesh tasted smooth and a bit earthy, like a seasoned and
mellowed catfish. With a wink and a sly nod towards Doris he
said. \Make these heads into soup and you will need many wives\.
She glanced at me with a puzzled look. I smiled.

Ranging through South America from Brazil to the lowlands of
Peru, they also inhabit waters in Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia,
Ecuador and Bolivia. In the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers of
Brazil and the Orinoco River in Venezuela, no creature is safe
from the Piranha\'s razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws. The
serrated teeth fit together like scissors, enabling Piranha to
cut the flesh from their prey. Like a shark, a Piranha\'s teeth
are replaceable, when one breaks off a new one grows in its
place.

The Yagua Indians of Peru often use the sharp edges between the
teeth of a Piranha jawbone to sharpen the point of their blowgun
darts. A fish that is dying or swimming erratically will be
quickly attacked by a large school. Piranha will also attack
without warning to defend their eggs and territory. A wounded
animal that strays into the water will be stripped to the bone
so quickly it seems almost to \dance\ on the surface as it\'s
ravaged from beneath. A bird that falls into the water will be
gone, feathers and all, in three minutes or less. A trapped fish
struggling in a net will be chewed clean to the head in a matter
of seconds. Attacks on large animals and humans are often
dramatically portrayed, but are rare. In some regions Piranha
are known as \donkey castrators\.

\They will rend and devour alive any wounded man or beast.\ U.S.
President Teddy Roosevelt said, adding, \Piranha are the most
ferocious fish in the world.\ Piranha, also called Caribe or
Piraya only furthered their fearsome mystique when Roosevelt
encountered them during his exploits in 1914. There are about 35
known species of Piranha but only five species represent a
danger to man. Species range from the Red-Belly Piranha
(Pygocentrus nattereri) with its characteristic red belly to the
largest of the carnivorous species, the Black Piranha with its
demon-red eyes and a 17 and a half inch long dark body weighing
up to ten pounds. It could remove a man\'s hand in two or three
bites.

Most species dine on fruit or seeds that fall into the water
from overhanging trees. The fish are not always aggressive.
Women wash clothes in knee-deep water where men spearfish while
children bathe or swim in these same Piranha-infested waters
without harm. Further adding to the Piranha\'s mystique, Indian
men with half a dozen wives and up to a score of children
attribute their potency to Piranha-head soup, although no
scientific justification for the soup\'s potency yet exists.

Fishing for Piranha

Piranhas are usually part of indigenous peoples diet in the
areas where the fish are found. All you need to go Piranha
fishing are lines with a metal leader next to the hook so the
fish doesn\'t bite through the line, a supply of red, raw meat
(worms or cut-up fish will do too) and a bit of luck. Piranha
swim in large schools and are attracted by movement and blood.
In May of 1999, hundreds of anglers armed with rods, reels, and
raw steak flocked to the Brazilian town of Aracatuba near Sao
Paolo for a one-Sunday piranha fishing tournament. The
townspeople had declared open season on the flesh-eating fish,
which had decimated other species in the local river. The prize
for the tournament was an outboard motor. But \most fishermen
were content to go home with plenty of the reputedly aphrodisiac
piranha\, claimed then town spokesman Nelson Custidio.

Piranha, earning their notorious reputation by reportedly
killing 1,200 head of cattle every year in Brazil, is some of
the best eating in South America. Whatever name you call them
and no matter where you try them, when cooked in a variety of
ways, their firm light flesh with its smooth, slightly nutty
flavor, is a taste you\'re sure to enjoy.