Fun stuff for those into castration

[Riverwind (imported)]

Swedish men told to beware testicle-munching fish

Experts have warned Swedish men to keep their swimming trunks on if taking a dip in a sound off the country's southern coast, after a South American fish known for attacking testicles was discovered in the area.

A pacu fish is a relative of the piranha and is most commonly found in the Amazon region. Photo: Alamy By Hannah Strange

12:16PM BST 10 Aug 2013

The alert came after a fisherman in the Oresund Sound last week retrieved a 21 centimetre pacu - a relative of the piranha that is most commonly found in the Amazon region.

"Keep your swimwear on if you're bathing in the Sound these days - maybe there are more out there!" cautioned the National History Museum in neighbouring Denmark.

The freshwater fish, which can grow up to 90 centimetres and weigh up to 25 kilogrammes, has been nicknamed the "ball cutter" for its attacks on the male genitalia.

In areas where pacus proliferate, fishermen have reportedly bled to death after losing their testicles to the fish's crushing jaws.

Found in most rivers in the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America, they have also been spotted in Papua New Guinea, where it is believed they have been introduced to boost fish stocks. Discoveries have also been reported in several US states; in 2006, officials at one Texas lake reportedly put a $100 bounty on the pacu caught there.

(anybody want to head to TEXAS for some swimming er fishing?)

But this is the first time a pacu has been caught at sea in Europe, the museum said.

"The pacu is not normally dangerous to people but it has quite a serious bite, there have been incidents in other countries, such as Papua New Guinea where some men have had their testicles bitten off," Henrik Carl, a fish expert at the Danish museum, said.

"They bite because they're hungry, and testicles sit nicely in their mouth," he told The Local.

"And its mouth is not so big, so of course it normally eats nuts, fruit, and small fish, but human testicles are just a natural target. It's not normal to get your testicles bitten off, of course, but it can happen, especially now in Sweden."

The pacu was similar in appearance to its notorious cousin, the piranha, he said.

"They are almost identical to the piranha, you couldn't even tell from the outside. It's just that they have different teeth. Flatter and stronger, perfect for crushing," he added.

Mr Carl said that the discovery of one pacu - which is currently undergoing DNA tests to confirm its identity - should not keep Swedish men out of the water. But if more were found in the area, it could become a serious issue, he suggested.

"This one was the first, but who knows, it's probably not the last."

Sounds like a lively time for those who wish there nuts gone in a spectacular manor.

River

[Ernie of Maine (imported)]

River I think someone is polling your dick.Pacu do not live in salt water.Ernie

[Dave (imported)]

The other thing that struck me odd was that Oresund Sound is between Sweden, Germany and Denmark -- near the Baltic. Now it is fish rich but it is cold. Pacu are fish from the tropics and not many fish can change temperature zones that way

[A-1 (imported)]

...

in 2006, officials at one Texas lake reportedly put a $100 bounty on the pacu caught there...

River

DAMN! Just when those Austin street walkers had Santorum and Cruz talked into going skinny dipping... OH WELL!!!

[gareth19 (imported)]

The other thing that struck me odd was that Oresund Sound is between Sweden, Germany and Denmark -- near the Baltic. Now it is fish rich but it is cold. Pacu are fish from the tropics and not many fish can change temperature zones that way

The Baltic has a much lower salinity than the Atlantic which is why the Vasa wasn't devoured by sea worms years ago. But you are right, it is quite cold.

[Dave (imported)]

>>AHEM!

>>

>>

Warning over testicle-biting fish in Denmark? It's all wet

By Melissa Gray, CNN

updated 3:41 PM EDT, Fri August 16, 2013

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/eur ... hpt=hp_bn2

Pacus have teeth that resemble human molars and fit together in a similar bit.

(CNN) -- It is safe to go back into the water again -- at least in Scandinavia.

A warning over the weekend for male swimmers off the coast of Denmark and Sweden to protect their private parts because of a testicle-munching fish appears to have been a joke that got out of hand.

After a Danish fisherman caught a South American pacu among his eels and perch this month, a professor at the Copenhagen Museum of Natural History told men to be careful because the fish sometimes mistake male reproductive organs for tree nuts, one of their favorite foods.

"Anyone choosing to bathe in the Oresund these days had best keep their swimsuits well tied," Professor Peter Rask Moller said in a Saturday news release about the fish discovery in the strait separating Denmark and Sweden.

Wednesday, however, Moller said he was just joking and never meant for his warning to get so much publicity.

"We did say that we recommend men to keep their swimsuits tied up until we know if there are more pacus out there in our waters," Moller told CNN by e-mail. "Of course, this is half a joke since it is very unlikely that you would actually meet one here and that it would bite you. It's up to people themselves how careful they want to be. I'll keep my shorts on, though."

Finding a pacu, a close relative of the piranha normally found in South America, is unusual so far north. Moller said it was likely dumped in the strait by an amateur aquarium owner or fish farmer.

William Fink, a piranha researcher at the University of Michigan who is also curator of fishes at the school's Museum of Zoology, poured water on the pacu warning. For one thing, he said, pacus are vegetarian -- and there's no record of them attacking a human.

"They're fruit eaters. Those big crushing teeth they have is for crushing seeds," he said.

Pacus tend to swim under fruiting trees during high water, waiting for the trees to drop their fruit, seeds and nuts, Fink said. The fish then swim to the surface to eat the tasty morsels.

In fact, Fink said, that's how fishermen catch them: by putting a piece of fruit on the end of a line and letting it float in the water. Pacus swim up to grab it and then get caught.

"The nuts that they're eating, the fruits that they're eating, are splashing down from above, and humans don't act like that when they're swimming," Fink said.

And unlike piranhas, which have rigid, razor-sharp interlocking teeth, pacus have teeth that resemble human molars and fit together in a similar bite, Fink said. The pacus use those teeth to crush their food, not to rip it apart -- or off.

He speculated that the pacu found in Denmark was probably released shortly before it was found because pacu species can't survive in either saltwater or chilly temperatures.

"It's just too cold for pacus to be living there. They certainly wouldn't make it through the winter," or even past October, he said.

CNN was among numerous news outlets around the world that reported the Danish news release over the weekend, focusing on the special warning for male swimmers.

Moller said he only meant to publicize the surprise discovery of a pacu in the Baltic and to advise the public that the fish can be invasive and possibly dangerous.

"The story about the 'nuts' was never meant to be the headline. But it certainly got people's attention," Moller told CNN. "I'm sorry if it has caused you any trouble. It was a bit of a joke, but I still will keep my swimsuits tied up, and I will never swim in an aquarium with these fishes."

CNN's Bharati Naik contributed to this report.

[Riverwind (imported)]

I rest my case.

River

[butterflyjack (imported)]

Professor Herr Moller should be de-frocked..He hinted at this fish possibly being invasive..It is not and could not , for many reasons, ever be..And if it were to, somehow mysteriously adapt to this foreign environment, it's not a bit dangerous...Only the weak minded Jivaros of the Amazon basin could ever think it was dangerous..

What a bunch of maroons..hehe Thanks for the fun..Jackie

[genderless (imported)]

So strange and funny too. Shame it wasn't true. LOL

[Holland1 (imported)]

DAMN! Just when those Austin street walkers had Santorum and Cruz talked into going skinny dipping... OH WELL!!!

I'm with you. If only wishing could makle it so!