254 – Piranha!

We’re excited to talk with paleontologist Matthew Kolmann about a fish whose legendary ferocity ranks with the shark and the barracuda – the piranha! Are they capable of turning an animal into a skeleton in minutes? No.  But they’re still wicked cool. And don’t worry – we manage to throw in some cryptid stories too!   
Content Warning: We do talk a bit about testicles being bitten off by fish.

Teddy Roosevelt’s book about his trip to South America, Through the Brazilian Rainforest.Then there’s the weird back-story about his seeing a cow eaten by the fish, apparently part of a staged event.

The legend of the Swedish pacu fish that eats testicles came from a 2013 article that was referencing a less reputable paper that was, in turn, reprinting an urban legend. Pacu don’t eat people’s testicles, although they do eat nuts.

The Piranha film series has done little to further our cultural understanding of these fascinating fish.

I slightly messed up the title of the film about Mokele Mbembe. It’s Baby – Secret of the Lost Legend (1985).

Boto Encantado – the magical shape-changing river dolphin

Were-Jaguars are quite common in legends of South & Central America. Here’s an academic paper on the topic, specifically referencing the shape changing Kanaima.