A review of the MonsterQuest episode "Piranha Invasion"
There
seems to be no end to the dangerous, deadly and (surprise) flesh-eating
creatures hell-bent on establishing themselves in the United States. But then,
what did you except from a country that's to some extent situated in the
subtropical or even tropical zone? Nice, cuddly polar rabbits?
In this episode of "MonsterQuest", a group of investigators search for piranhas (you heard me) in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. These dangerous, deadly and flesh-eating fish have been caught in the lake three years in a row, perhaps suggesting that they can survive and breed in the lake. Scientists are sceptical, however: while some species of piranha can survive in temperate waters, the notorious red-bellied piranha (the species in question) cannot. A more likely explanation is that people tired of their exotic "pets" release them into the lake, where they are later caught by bemused anglers.
While "MonsterQuest" clearly believes that the piranhas have established themselves in Missouri, I remain sceptical. The temperature in some parts of the lake is around 57 Fahrenheit degrees in winter, and an experiment carried out by MonsterQuest's own investigators shows that piranhas get sluggish at that temperature and huddle together to survive. Sure, they don't drop dead, but the investigators don't explain how they feed in this passive condition. I'm not a scholarly expert on red-bellied (or pot-bellied) piranhas, but this obviously calls out for an explanation...
It seems that the good people of Missouri are safe...for now.
In this episode of "MonsterQuest", a group of investigators search for piranhas (you heard me) in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. These dangerous, deadly and flesh-eating fish have been caught in the lake three years in a row, perhaps suggesting that they can survive and breed in the lake. Scientists are sceptical, however: while some species of piranha can survive in temperate waters, the notorious red-bellied piranha (the species in question) cannot. A more likely explanation is that people tired of their exotic "pets" release them into the lake, where they are later caught by bemused anglers.
While "MonsterQuest" clearly believes that the piranhas have established themselves in Missouri, I remain sceptical. The temperature in some parts of the lake is around 57 Fahrenheit degrees in winter, and an experiment carried out by MonsterQuest's own investigators shows that piranhas get sluggish at that temperature and huddle together to survive. Sure, they don't drop dead, but the investigators don't explain how they feed in this passive condition. I'm not a scholarly expert on red-bellied (or pot-bellied) piranhas, but this obviously calls out for an explanation...
It seems that the good people of Missouri are safe...for now.
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