Most Dangerous Catfish to people swimming in south america?

david · Post by **david** » 31 Oct 2003, 21:33

Hi Guys
I was wondering what would be the most dangerous Catfish to humans apart from the Electric Catfish?. I may be wrong but isnt there a catfish so small if u urinate in the amazon it follows the trail of urine up into your urinary track and stays there eventually killing you? thanks Guys.

Post by **Silurus** » 31 Oct 2003, 21:49

The fish you are referring to are parasitic trichomycterid catfishes known as candiru. Their danger is overrated. Read this post for some discussion (go right to the end of the thread) and this post for some info about a particular species.

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 31 Oct 2003, 22:59

most SA catfish aren't particularly dangerous from what I know, although Burgess mentions the natives told of a fish similar to Brachyplatystoma filamentosum except larger, that took humans every so often. Of course he also said that the natives don't care to eat B. filamentosum, which apparently is incorrect. Still, even if no larger a fish really exists, anyone really want to go swimming with these boys?

pic lifted from this site http://www.exploracionyaventuras.com/pa ... azonic.htm

oh, and electric cats are african, electric eels are south american

metallhd · Post by **metallhd** » 01 Nov 2003, 06:25

Might I add that besides ominous catfish there are other large indigenous threatening inhabitants? Personally I think I'd be more worried about piranhas than candiru even though they seem grim, and even more worried about bugs and snakes when I wasn't p**ing in the pool . . .

nice fish btw, were they good?

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 01 Nov 2003, 07:14

actually, according to some people stingrays are much more widely feared as they inflict seriously painful wounds that are very likely to become infected. They also sting whoever steps on them, not just wounded or diseased people/animals. From what I've read piranha are very little problem to anything but another fish or an injured animal in the water.

;) those aren't my fish, and that's sure as heck not me... he's missing 150 pounds or so to be a pic of me. That website's an adventure fishing site. I've never been south of Nogales, Mexico.

I will certainly agree that the bugs and snakes would worry me much more.

Post by **Shane** » 01 Nov 2003, 14:20

Stingrays are the number one fear. A stingray sting can be fatal if you are far from medical attention and, even if you get some treatment, can still keep you bedridden for 2-3 months. Caribe (piranhas) are greatly feared by city dwelling South Americans, but country folk give them little thought. I have only ever seen a single piranha bite and it was a guy who got careless removing a fishing hook from a caribe's mouth. I have an article I wrot on caribes for the Polish aquarium magazine Akwaforum if anyone is interested in a copy contact me via PM. Fishermen from Ecuador to Colombia have an irrational fear of small pims. The minute they see one they either cut all the fins off with pliers or, with smaller fish, break them off by hand. A pim sting can hurt, but these guys handle small pims like rattlesnakes.
-Shane

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 01 Nov 2003, 19:10

HI!

I swam several times in the Rio Negro and did not having to fear about a fish.
The stingrays are dangerous because when you step on the wound does take some time to heal ( ortho)
Candiru are dangerous as well but if you were a thight swim "suit" that should not be a problem if you urinate in the water ( just try to avoid doing it)

Piranhas are a problem when the dry season is lowering the water and trapping the fish otherwise they are not.

Be careful also some fish are attracted by bright flashy colour such as red so avoid swimming with red, prefer green or rather dark colour...
Cheers
Yann

TiGrInUs · Post by **TiGrInUs** » 02 Nov 2003, 06:12

Shane wrote:Stingrays are the number one fear. A stingray sting can be fatal if you are far from medical attention and, even if you get some treatment, can still keep you bedridden for 2-3 months. Caribe (piranhas) are greatly feared by city dwelling South Americans, but country folk give them little thought. I have only ever seen a single piranha bite and it was a guy who got careless removing a fishing hook from a caribe's mouth. I have an article I wrot on caribes for the Polish aquarium magazine Akwaforum if anyone is interested in a copy contact me via PM. Fishermen from Ecuador to Colombia have an irrational fear of small pims. The minute they see one they either cut all the fins off with pliers or, with smaller fish, break them off by hand. A pim sting can hurt, but these guys handle small pims like rattlesnakes.
-Shane

yes pim spines do hurt! Do they have some kinda toxin in them? When i got stung by my jau cat it numbed up my hand.

Post by **Silurus** » 02 Nov 2003, 08:46

Do they have some kinda toxin in them?

No they don't. That was probably the reaction to the mucus on the spine.

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 02 Nov 2003, 20:28

heh, what's the difference between a toxin and a mucus that causes a reaction? Probably a dumb question, but I'm kind of curious. Although the FW stingrays stings haven't much been studied many believe that it is a chemical in the flesh sheath around the sting that packs the punch... and there is no injection system as there is in many biting venomous animals. I was wondering what made it different than a catfish sting from a non-venomous species, or even the difference from a venomous species and non venomous if even non-venomous has some form of a chemical that causes a physical reaction/sensation, unless the difference is individual, perhaps an allergy or something?

Post by **Silurus** » 02 Nov 2003, 20:35

Toxins are usually of glandular origin (i.e. they originate from a gland and are introduced into the wound when the spine punctures the skin. There aren't that many catfish groups with known toxin glands (e.g. plotosids, certain clariids, amblycipitids).
In most cases (as with pimelodids and bagrids), the mucus on the spine/fin gets into the puncture wound and irritates the wound, but the mucus is not closely associated with the spine (unlike a toxin), since it is produced all over the body (and not only in the vicinity of the spine as in a toxin).

metallhd · Post by **metallhd** » 04 Nov 2003, 00:06

Yoiks! interesting thread . . . funny how our (ok my) assessments of what is scary are trivial to the natives. As a funny example from this corner of the globe, allow me to interate my horror in watching a man once stride boldly right up to a fairly large (200 kg) elk (or wapiti, a large N American deer) with a full rack and in rut, maybe 20 'points', and start taking pictures as it thrashed the bush not five feet in front of him - this fellow was completely oblivious and only looked up from the camera when a group of horrified onlookers started yelling at him - he moved pretty fast then, I'll tell ya. The elk was satisfied with his accomplishment and continued thrashing the shrub, lucky for him.

Don't even ask about the picture of my grandad sitting on a highway divider next to a black bear, sharing his sandwich - my dad has the picture to prove it somewhere even . . . think I'll stick to Corvettes when it comes to stingrays, though

PS - SAllen - that guys' pretty buff, sure you won't take credit? You could say you hadn't had lunch yet . . .