Do not pee in the Amazon

[Gambit]

The Terrifying Toothpick Fish Written by Alan Bellows on January 30th, 2007 at 8:01 am From DamnInteresting.com The vast freshwater ecosystem of the Amazon River is home to abundant animal life, and many of its species thrive by virtue of their ferocity. If one were to ask the locals which of the river's indigenous species is the most treacherous, a few might describe the roaming packs of carnivorous piranhas, or the massive anaconda snakes; but based on the general sentiment of the region, the most frequently uttered response would be "candirú." The candirú is a tiny catfish which dwells in the depths of the Amazon River. These fish do not hunt in packs like the piranha, nor are they exceptionally large like the anaconda. In fact, the candirú is among the tiniest vertebrates on the planet, and it is sometimes referred to as the "toothpick fish" due to its small size and slender shape. Only a handful of people have had the misfortune of crossing paths with the candirú, but their experiences serve as cautionary tales to any who venture into the mighty river. Though the candirú is a parasite, humans are not among its viable hosts. It lingers in the murky darkness at the river's bottom, quietly stalking its neighboring fish. Light is scarce in the soupy deep, but the candirú does not need to see… it can taste the traces of urea and ammonia that are expelled from breathing gills. The tiny hunter shadows its prey, almost invisible due to its translucent body and small size. When the target fish exhales, the candirú detects the resulting flow of water and makes a dash for the exposed gill cavity with remarkable speed. Within less than a second it penetrates the gill and wriggles its way into place, erecting an umbrella-like array of spines to secure its position. Unconcerned with the host's panicked thrashing, the firmly anchored parasite immediately nibbles a hole in a nearby artery with its needle-like teeth, feasting upon the bounty that gushes forth. Within two minutes the candirú's belly is swollen with the blood of its victim, and it retracts its gripping barbs. A candirú attached to a host fishThough it may seem that the exploited host fish has escaped, its injuries are so extensive that chances of survival are grim. Meanwhile the victorious attacker slinks back into the river's dark places to digest its meal. There are many troubling stories regarding human run-ins with the candirú, though until recent years these were not given much credence by the medical community. It is not uncommon for people swimming or bathing in the river to urinate in the water, an action which creates tiny water currents that are rich in urea and ammonia. It seems that the tiny, slender catfish cannot always distinguish a urinating human from an exhaling fish gill, and on occasion it will attempt its trademark high-speed attack on some unfortunate soul. Silvio Barbossa was one such soul. He was swimming in the Amazon River when he went head to head with the tiny parasite: "I felt like urinating. I stood up, and it was then it attacked me. The candirú attacked me. […] When I saw it, I was terrified. I grabbed it quickly so it couldn't go deeper inside. I could only see the end of its tail flapping. I tried to grab it, but it slipped away from me and went in. […] I was very afraid, because the candirú bites." When the candirú successfully invades a human, it proceeds exactly as it would with a fish host. After entering the misidentified orifice, it quickly wriggles its way in as far as possible, often accompanied by the victim's frantic attempts to grip the slippery, mucus-coated tail. In the unlikely event that the panicked victim manages to grasp the fish, its backwards-pointing barbs would cause excruciating pain at each pull, and bring a quick end to the dramatic tug-of-war. Once inside, the parasite inches its way up the urethra to the nearest blood-gorged membrane, extends its spines into the surrounding tissue, and starts feasting. For the candirú, this misguided journey is a one-way trip; its bloody banquet leaves it too swollen to escape. The only known retaliation against the invader is delicate and expensive surgery, or failing that, a folk remedy which combines two herbs to very slowly kill and dissolve the fish. Silvio was fortunate enough to have access to modern medical facilities, though he had to endure three days of profound agony before the fish was extracted by an awestruck urogenital surgeon. DO NOT BACK UP, SEVERE URETHRA DAMAGESilvio's incident was the first officially confirmed report of a candirú attacking a human, but such leg-crossingly horrific tales have haunted the region for generations. According to legend, many men chose castration as an alternative to a slow, excruciating death back before surgery was an option. Though such brushes with the candirú are exceedingly rare in statistical terms, it is wise to heed the advice of the locals, and avoid urinating in the Amazon River at all costs. When the natives of the Amazon speak, one would be foolish not to listen. They are privy to some of the world's most horrible truths. http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=797

[PaiN_KiLLeR]

Would be a good idea to breed this species in Indian rivers!

[theguyinallblue]

was he swimming naked..? or fish can jump out of the water and enter..? who would risk to go full monty in a river..or may be in just lowered his underwear while inside the river and relived himself.. horrifying story..

[Bongosamaj]

was he swimming naked..? or fish can jump out of the water and enter..? who would risk to go full monty in a river..or may be in just lowered his underwear while inside the river and relived himself.. horrifying story..

Dude, if the thing can punch through the gills of a fish with no problems, it can punch through 1mm thick cotton underwear with no problems either. And the fish doesn't have to jump outta water- if you notice, most people bathe in the river at a position where their hips and everything below is underwater...you don't see people bathing in knee-deep water.

[theguyinallblue]

this fish does not drill the gills of any fish..it just sense the opening..and enter it..in a flash and spread its spine to get hold of its position.. and then it starts its work of sucking blood... so ..no..it does not cut open any gills...so..don't think it can make a hole in a cotton underwear even if it is 1 MM...

[Bongosamaj]

so ..no..it does not cut open any gills...so..don't think it can make a hole in a cotton underwear even if it is 1 MM...

Actually, it does. I read a while ago in depth about this sucker-fish and it drills into the gills to expose the blood-supply. It also sometimes drills through the anal opening of bigger fish and clamps itself inside the rectum. And if you don't believe me, try peeing in the Amazon with your underwear on and see your urethra explode. From what i've read of human experiences with this fish, it sets itself up inside your bladder- which means it has some pretty good drilling power, considering it is entering your urethra and then forcing itself past the prostate. Apparently, it uses its spine as a jabbing tool to make a quick and clean entry.

[theguyinallblue]

Actually, it does. I read a while ago in depth about this sucker-fish and it drills into the gills to expose the blood-supply. It also sometimes drills through the anal opening of bigger fish and clamps itself inside the rectum. Bong0..i tried to read some materals..on this fish..and no where has ot been mentioned that it cuts open an orifice..whether it is the gills of a fish or cotton underwear.. once it is inside the orifice ..then it positions itself and starts its work of sucking blood..and eating flesh as well.. my point is it does not drill any fish around its gill to get an entry..it just lauches itself very quickly..when there is an opening of the gill by the bigger fish.. PS: please show me...where did you read that it drills any thing like gills of a fish to get an entry inside the body.. waiting for your response..

[THX_1138]

i find this terribly hard to believe for numerous reasons: our urine when expelled is not a contiguous stream that a fish or any creature for that fact could swim upstream of. it is infact discrete drops expelled in a sequence. this is the very reason why urinating on an electrified fence does not cause electrocution. moreover, if the individual was standing upright and i presume he was implying that his genetalia was above the water level, then even if he was wearing cotton briefs, the space between the fibers through which the fist could swim (assuming the bugger could swim up discrete drops, a bit like swimming up a rain into the clounds); could not have been more than a tenth of a millimeter to about a few microns wide. anything that miniscule has to be invisible to the naked eye. assuming that this unfortunate soul (fictitious for all i know) was swimming naked, assuming the fish could swim upstream, the fish still had to be rather small for it to burrow through his urethra, it had to smaller than a few millimeters across. do tell me how is it he made a mad grab for something that small? and finally our urine is expelled at considerable velocity depending on the content of the bladder (since the bladder is an inflattable organ, the concept of pressure is really not accurate), infact, we achieve on an average about 13 - 15 cc per second expulsion speed (usually more) and through an aperture about 2 mm wide, which is rougly 4.7m/s or 17.188 kmph... a considerable velocity underwater for a creature that small. hence, that little bugger could not swim up the urinary track. and finally, the only possible way this bugger could enter a poor human being is if this human was naked, underwater and peeing. in cases such as those, he had it coming.

[theguyinallblue]

yaar any one would lower his brief..even if he is under water...no one would want to feel the hot urine on its thighs.. but if some one is doing it with brief on...then i don't think fish can enter...by cutting open the brief.. i read few articles and real incidents...and yes..it can enter the Penis..but only in very rare cases... but once inside....it causes a lot of damage.. when i was reading all those stories..i was feeling so terrible..a mere thought of such happenings...can send shiver down the spine.. ohh....

[Bongosamaj]

THX, few things: 1. The fish is rather small in diameter..it can crawl up your urethra pretty easily 2. I've never seen anyone bathe in knee-deep water. Usually, when you are bathing in the river, you are standing in water that is atleast waist/chest-high, thus your genitals are underwater anyways 3. Urine doesnt have to be a continuous stream for the fish to follow- this thing tracks by the sense of smell, just like sharks or other bloodhounds do with blood. All it needs is a big concentration of urea to follow (which is what the surrounding waters will smell to this fish after you urniate). It shouldn't have any problems following the smell and finding the source(the genitals), where the odor would be at its most concentrated and 'freshest'. 4. Swimming with your underwear on is very rare in most parts of the world, unless the water is freezing. Most folks from Africa/Americas and SE Asia tend to take off their clothes at the river-bank, secure them to a tree or something and wade in. Its mostly south-asia where people bathe with a loincloth on. And even then, those who bathe in the river normally wear pettycoats and loincloths- ie, big openings underneath it....boxer briefs and panties arnt common amongst river-bathing lots.

[theguyinallblue]

Bongo..where did you read that it drills the gills of a fish to get inside the gill of the fish..? can you provide source..?