Suddenly you feel it. Also known as the toothpick or vampire fish, this little river monster has swum up your penis and lodged itself in position using its umbrella like spines. The candiru Vandellia cirrhosa is a tiny catfish measuring just 3 to 5 cm in length. It is also known as the toothpick fish on account of its slender shape.
Meet The Candiru – The Penis Probing Fish Of Your Nightmares
Getting Freaky: Can you get a penis parasite from swimming in lakes and rivers? | Metro News
Wikimedia Commons The candiru fish, in an drawing. Of all of the beasts that prowl the Amazon , none is more feared by the locals than the candiru. A river monster feared even above the dreaded piranha; the candiru waits for its unsuspecting prey to step into the river before latching onto it. This little fishy packs a punch.
Getting Freaky: Can you get a penis parasite from swimming in lakes and rivers?
The story is that the fish swims up a stream of urine into a man's penis, then eats it from the inside. But is there any truth to it? Of all the denizens of the Amazon basin, there is none more feared than the tiny fish known as the candiru. Since coming to the attention of science in the early 19th century, this creature has occupied the very darkest recesses of the popular imagination.
The Amazon Basin harbors an amazing amount of biodiversity. Covering some 7 million square kilometers 2. Case in point: The Candiru. Sometimes, these organisms are humans. These spines extend into the host, lodging the candiru firmly in place.