Which is the most ferocious, a piranha or a great white shark

A.� Probably the piranha. They attack with such ferocity that they strip an animal of its flesh completely within a matter of minutes. The attack, which can involve up to 20,000 fish, some of whom inevitably turn into lunch themselves, is so frenzied that the water appears to bubble and boil, a sight used to great affect in many a James Bond movie.

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Q.� What do piranhas eat

A.� Just about anything. They like their prey injured, preferably badly wounded but still alive so that they are nice and fresh but defenceless.

The baby piranha starts off with something modest, like crustaceans, fruits, seeds and aquatic plants. When they've grown a little they move on to the fins of other fish that get too close. As for adult piranhas, they'll eat anything: other fish, jaguars, cattle, even people.

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Q.� How does a little fish like a piranha 'catch' something like a cow

A.� By grabbing the animal by its mouth and nose if it bends down to drink from the river. Piranhas can devour a whole cow in just ten minutes.

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Q.� Does anything eat a piranha

A.� Yes, and it's often the animals that normally end up as lunch for the piranhas. Piranhas often feast on baby herons that fall into the river as they make their first, and last attempts, at flying. Young, defenceless caimans are also an easy snack for piranhas.

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The floodplains of the Amazon run dry during the dry season the piranha are stranded in isolated lagoons, where they die from lack of oxygen. Then it's payback time for herons and caimans as the piranhas are easy pickings from small isolated pools.

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Q.� Where do piranhas live

A.� In large, slow moving rivers, like The Amazon in South America.

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Do you have a question about the extremes of the animal kingdom Click here to ask.

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by Lisa Cardy