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They had it even before we
knew what was happening. My rod bowed in prayer to something
below the tea-colored water's surface. The six-pound test line
danced like a cat on a hot pavement. All hell had broken loose.
Beads of sweat rolled down Doris' back. Her clothes were now
a second skin, clinging to her every move. We panted for breath.
We had fish on. The silvery oval-shaped body and red belly of
a Piranha broke the surface. I reached for it. "Don't let
a finger get near their mouths or you'll lose it", our native
guide barked.
Minutes earlier, I shuddered
from a breeze escaping from somewhere up ahead despite 85 degree-plus
heat. The double-digit humidity didn't help either. A maddening
buzz filled my ears, but thanks my coating of Vick's Vapor Rub,
the blood-suckers wouldn't feast on me. My eyes burned. My nose
dripped. A coffee-table-sized leaf or hanging branch slapped
into me every few steps. Curses burst from my lips even with
my best efforts to become as one with the rainforest, as the
indian had.
Our fishing rods extended from
18" to five and a half feet. I'd hoped the light mono would
suffice, although I'd squirreled away spools of twelve and twenty
pound test as an afterthought. If we tagged into a 50-plus pound
Tambaqui even that wouldn't be enough. Vines as thick as my wrist
dipped into light coffee-colored waters making little ripples
as it slid past roots and fallen branches. Tangled growth matted
the gentle slope of the bank into tea-with-milk colored wetness.
I'd flicked a thumbnail-sized chunk of bloody chicken liver on
a barb-less hook with a split shot into a dinner plate-sized
swirl just beside a snarl of mangrove roots jutting upwards through
the surface.
Minutes later, his tanned skin
gleaming with moisture, our guide demonstrated the efficiency
of the scissor-like teeth. A green leaf held near the gaping
mouth instantly sported a neat, crescent-shaped bite. Three heavy
blows to the head prepared the killer for cleaning. After cleaning,
the Embera made a series of diagonal cuts along each side of
the fish. Into these he carefully rubbed a mixture of salt, garlic,
and ground roots from a small gourd he carried. A simple shaved
branch frame held the fish over a smoky fire of glowing coals.
The firm toasted flesh tasted smooth and a bit earthy, like a
seasoned and mellowed catfish. With a wink and a sly nod towards
Doris he said. "Make these heads into soup and you will
need many wives". She glanced at me with a puzzled look.
I smiled.
The Perfect Killing Machine
The Amazon is filled with danger.
Soldier ants march by the millions devouring all life in their
path. Submerged up to the eyes, Crocodiles lie in wait for the
unwary - whatever or whoever that may be. Undulating its 20-foot
length beneath the surface, the Anaconda, one of the world's
largest snakes, uses heat-seeking guidance to find its next meal.
The barbed stinger in the tail of platter-sized stingrays can
inflict a wound that takes months to heal. But none of these
carry the fearsome mystique of the voracious Piranha. Ranging
through South America from Brazil to the lowlands of Peru, they
also inhabit waters in Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador and
Bolivia. In the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers of Brazil and the
Orinoco River in Venezuela, no creature is safe from the Piranha's
razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws. The serrated teeth fit together
like scissors, enabling Piranha to cut the flesh from their prey.
Like a shark, a Piranha's teeth are replaceable, when one breaks
off a new one grows in its place.
The Yagua Indians of Peru often
use the sharp edges between the teeth of a Piranha jawbone to
sharpen the point of their blowgun darts. A fish that is dying
or swimming erratically will be quickly attacked by a large school.
Piranha will also attack without warning to defend their eggs
and territory. A wounded animal that strays into the water will
be stripped to the bone so quickly it seems almost to "dance"
on the surface as it's ravaged from beneath. A bird that falls
into the water will be gone, feathers and all, in three minutes
or less. A trapped fish struggling in a net will be chewed clean
to the head in a matter of seconds. Attacks on large animals
and humans are often dramatically portrayed, but are rare. In
some regions Piranha are known as "donkey castrators".
"They will rend and devour
alive any wounded man or beast." U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt
said, adding, "Piranha are the most ferocious fish in the
world." Piranha, also called Caribe or Piraya only furthered
their fearsome mystique when Roosevelt encountered them during
his exploits in 1914. There are about 35 known species of Piranha
but only five species represent a danger to man. Species range
from the Red-Belly Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) with its characteristic
red belly to the largest of the carnivorous species, the Black
Piranha with its demon-red eyes and a 17 and a half inch long
dark body weighing up to ten pounds. It could remove a man's
hand in two or three bites.
Most species dine on fruit
or seeds that fall into the water from overhanging trees. The
fish are not always aggressive. Women wash clothes in knee-deep
water where men spearfish while children bathe or swim in these
same Piranha-infested waters without harm. Further adding to
the Piranha's mystique, Indian men with half a dozen wives and
up to a score of children attribute their potency to Piranha-head
soup, although no scientific justification for the soup's potency
yet exists.
Fishing for Piranha
Piranhas are usually part of
indigenous peoples diet in the areas where the fish are found.
All you need to go Piranha fishing are lines with a metal leader
next to the hook so the fish doesn't bite through the line, a
supply of red, raw meat (worms or cut-up fish will do too) and
a bit of luck. Piranha swim in large schools and are attracted
by movement and blood. In May of 1999, hundreds of anglers armed
with rods, reels, and raw steak flocked to the Brazilian town
of Aracatuba near Sao Paolo for a one-Sunday piranha fishing
tournament. The townspeople had declared open season on the flesh-eating
fish, which had decimated other species in the local river. The
prize for the tournament was an outboard motor. But "most
fishermen were content to go home with plenty of the reputedly
aphrodisiac piranha", claimed then town spokesman Nelson
Custidio.
Piranha, earning their notorious
reputation by reportedly killing 1,200 head of cattle every year
in Brazil, is some of the best eating in South America. Whatever
name you call them and no matter where you try them, when cooked
in a variety of ways, their firm light flesh with its smooth,
slightly nutty flavor, is a taste you're sure to enjoy.
Larry M. Lynch is a writer
and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related
writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions
Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico
News and Brazil magazines in print and online. He travels researching
articles throughout Latin America and teaches at a university
in Cali, Colombia. To get original, exclusive articles and content
for your newsletter, blog or website, contact him at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com
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