A fly fisherman hooked a nonnative pacu with ferocious teeth in a landlocked urban pond in Miami, Fla.
Initially confusing it for a piranha due to its unusual aggression and jagged teeth, Eric Estrada correctly identified the fish as a pacu.
“Got into some Peacock Bass, Largemouth Bass, and a wild pack of Piranhas????” Estrada wrote alongside a video of the catch. “Pretty sure they were Pacu, but they were incredibly aggressive, and have gnarly shaped teeth, unlike a standard Pacu that’s teeth are normally shaped like human teeth.”
Omnivorous pacus are native to South America, like the related piranhas, but are generally not considered dangerously invasive. They can find their way into Floridas waterways after being kept as pets, and the pacus Estrada found in the residential pond may be accustomed to being fed by humans.
Piranhas, however, are illegal to own in Florida, according to rules set by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Unlike pacus, piranhas are aggressive predators that could wreak havoc on the local ecosystem.
