Fish aren’t usually counted among the most common human fears but plenty of movies and other media types have tried to change that fact. The Jason Statham-starring The Meg (2018) and its 2023 sequel breathed some life into a genre floating upside down in its tank since the heyday of Jaws in 1975 and the toothy, silly film it inspired, Piranha (1978).
A Man-eater
The latter two movies gave viewers a severe – if unnecessary – fear of anything ocean-going with teeth, leading Jaws author Peter Benchley to regret ever writing the original book. Piranha’s fame wasn’t quite as global but the idea of the (real-life) fish as a man-eater still exists today. The Piranha Pays video slot features great hunks of meat on its reels, as well as a fish that keeps growing in size.
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Source: Pexels
Slot machines and movie fish hide the fact that piranhas are mostly harmless to humans. The Smithsonian claims that people swim with them in South America. Granted, piranhas eat meat and have a fearsome set of teeth but research from PopSci magazine discovered that it’d take 300-500 of this ancient species to devour a person in the ‘traditional’ way – down to the bone in a few minutes.
Not that they’d have the inclination to. Reportedly, this latter legend comes from Teddy Roosevelt, who once saw a cow devoured by a ravenous pack of piranhas in the Amazon. In reality, piranhas will eat just about anything but favor a diet of insects, worms, and other ‘nibbles’. Some piranha are vegetarian. Some piranha are cannibals, a trait that only adds to their horror movie reputation.
“South American Trout”
Costa Rica doesn’t have any piranhas, although, this species manages to travel as part of the pet trade. For example, the University of California lists the red-bellied piranha as an invasive fish species in the state despite a lack of “established” populations in the US. Sightings in California are blamed on “aquarium releases”, which can cause upset to native plants and animals.
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The closest relative to the piranha in Costa Rica is the machaca. There are two species in the country – Brycon behreae and the larger Brycon costaricensis, both of which are considered cousins of the South American piranha. Don’t be afraid. These stocky fish start out as insectivores but become herbivorous by adulthood, feeding on seeds and plant matter that fall from trees.
The machaca is prized worldwide as a sport fish. The International Game Fish Association refers to it as the “South American trout”, noting its suitability for fly-fishing. Anglers are advised to use a fly that can withstand the machaca’s sharp maw, such as a piece of cork. A freshwater species, the machaca can be found in Lake Arenal but also in Pacific watersheds nearer the coast.
Would you want one as a pet? Probably not. Like trout, Machaca are generally not kept as companions like their red-bellied cousins. They don’t taste very good cooked, either. This is one fish best left outdoors.
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Carter Maddox
