Category: Fish
Red-bellied piranhas are omnivorous foragers and scavengers found in the Amazon Basin of South America. Their diet includes insects, worms, plants, crustaceans, and fish – they are not obligate carnivores. They tend to travel in shoals as a means of defense against predators, but rarely engage in group hunting behavior. Red-bellied piranhas are found over a larger geographic area than any other species of piranha and are also popular aquarium fish.
Undersea Conversations…
While it isn’t obvious, fish have ears, and are able to communicate to one another through sounds. They don’t have vocal chords, but instead vibrate their swim bladders, producing popping, grunting, moaning, barking, or chirping noises. While some species of fish, like the goldfish, are silent listeners, there are over 1000 species that are known to vocalize, and some, like the gurnard who are veritable chatterboxes. While we can’t have a conversation with them - at least not yet - it is theorized that they do it to attract mates, frighten away predators or competitors, to synchronize mating, call for help and warn others, or to orient themselves.
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