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There was a certain incident during Expedicion Tres Fronteras that really brought home the dangers we faced.

Jools did not even see these sinister suckermouths as they snuck over the sides of the canoe. They were on him in an instant! At first he was sure he could fend them off. (Note that more than one genera is present, proving for the first time inter-generic cooperation among loricariids during attacks on humans.)



Jools only realized the true danger he was facing when the armored assassins when for his throat.



Luckily I knew just how to handle the situation and Whitepine and I eventually lured the pugnacious plecos away by throwing our emergency cucumber supply into the river. We barely managed to divert the livid loris in time.

Please heed the lessons of this horrible event and keep children and small animals away from any tank housing plecos. Today Jools is fine, but the physical and emotional scars will take years to heal.
-Shane

That is so funny! My pleco is susposed to grow to be a monster like that. He has already eaten one of my snails alive when he was only 4 inches long. I can't imagine what he'll do when he is a foot long! I hope he doesn't attack me. I'll have to start carrying cucumbers in my pocket. You should make a movie or write a book about this and call it "When plecos attack!" "Killer plecos" or "Plecos, friend or foe?"

Crikey!

Good thing they weren't a carnivorous species!

(In his best national geographic documentary voice).

Like many omnivores, such as the grizzly bear Ursus arctos horriblis, the loracid catfish of South America will not hesitate at the opportunity for valuable protein.

The Alpha female give the indication to the pack members that vulnerable prey is near and an attack commences. The males of the group are left to fan eggs in a dark corner of natural cave or, a boot left by unwary collectors.

The attacks are at once stunning, brutal, and excruciatingly slow, as the predator may spend days or even weeks slowly rasping and sucking at the flesh of the unfortunate victim.

No merciful jugular bite, spinal sever, or suffocation tactic exsists aside from the little understood vampire pleco....

Sorry, this inspired visions of psyco pikes, and African Savannah documentaries.

Let that be a lesson, never travel the waterways of the amazon with a zuchini in your pocket.

Jools

Not only that,but there are reports of them now in places like Florida,Hawaii,Texas and a few other places so I suspect a grander scheme.

World domination maybe?

They seemed quite attracted to you, Jools! I think it was an attempt to communicate. (cue music to Close Encounters of the Third Kind) Maybe they liked what's in your blood, Brother! Smarter than we thought.....

Jools wrote:Let that be a lesson, never travel the waterways of the amazon with a zuchini in your pocket.

Jools

Was that a zucchini in your pocket or were you just pleased to be there?

coelacanth wrote:

Jools wrote:Let that be a lesson, never travel the waterways of the amazon with a zuchini in your pocket.

Jools

Was that a zucchini in your pocket or were you just pleased to be there?

hehehe

Yes, that pun was intended, we can always rely on Pete to draw these things out.

Jools

Great pictures - wonderful to see people with a sense of humour! Love the zuchini discussion! What a awesome experience you guys had. Here in AUstralia we can have nasty encounters with big eel tail catfish. Cheers!

Jools wrote:Yes, that pun was intended, we can always rely on Pete to draw these things out.

Thought I'd better spell it out, for our international contingent an' all that. British humour being notoriously subtle in tone, I thought it might pass them by.
Plus, I could have commented on the fact that it looks more like a petit cornichon from the pictures.