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A string of attacks on tourists from piranha-like fish has forced a popular holiday resort to close. (Image: Getty)
At least 94 tourists have been attacked at a popular holiday resort by huge fish with sharp human-like teeth in a period of just two years. One victim lost part of her finger from a fish bite, while several others required multiple stitches.
The attack in Praia de Figueira in southwest Brazil has led the authorities to partially close the popular holiday resort. Several bites were reportedly caused by a fish belonging to the red piranha family. These fish can grow up to four feet long and have large, sharp teeth that are very similar to humans.
Giant tambaqui fish are a large species of freshwater fish native to tropical South America. (Image: Getty)
Some of the bites were reportedly caused by the giant tambaqui fish (Colossoma macropomum), a large species of freshwater fish native to tropical South America. The largest ever caught weighed an incredible 71lb 7oz (32.4kg).
Tambaqui are omnivorous, possessing a unique combination of molariform teeth that allow them to eat both nuts and seeds and zooplankton.
Kleber Mathubara, an ichthyologist and PhD student in Zoology at the Institute of Biosciences at the University of Sao Paulo, said the fish’s “large and incisor-shaped” teeth are eerily similar to human teeth.
“These teeth, combined with an impressive biting force, are essential for cutting and breaking harder materials,” she said.
While fish in nature rarely threaten humans, the expert said “accidents can happen” in resorts where tourists feed fish in the water.
Bonito is known as Brazil's 'national capital of ecotourism', a form of sustainable tourism. (Image: Getty)
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They do not naturally occur in the region. 64 attacks occurred in the tourist area in Bonito last year, with another 30 reported this year already.
According to Rio Times, the resorts’s land-based activities have resumed, but the aquatic areas remain closed until safety measures are put in place. Officials are reported to have demanded physical barriers and efforts to warn visitors.
Experts told the paper that the fish behaviour is unusual and likely influenced by human behaviour.
Bonito is known for being Brazil’s “national capital of ecotourism”, a chance for holidaymakers to immerse themselves in a form of sustainable tourism that focuses on responsible travel to natural areas, aiming to conserve the environment, support local communities and educate.
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