Piranhas

Piranha means “tooth fish” in Tupi, and yes,
Its sharp teeth are a prominent trait,
But it’s not very likely to skeletonize you.
It doesn’t deserve all the hate.

When Theodore Roosevelt went to Brazil,
He declared it the fiercest of fish.
Well, we’ve learned that Brazilians had starved those piranhas.
To put on a show was the wish.

You might get a nibble when close to their eggs,
And their jaw muscles really are strong,
But the coroners say that the tales where piranhas
Eat humans alive are all wrong.

The red-bellied ones tend to swim in big shoals,
But that isn’t to hunt like in packs.
They have the same reason as many small fishes:
Protection from hunters’ attacks.

It does stand to reason that fishes that small
Would be loath to attack a large prey.
They’ve sooner resorted to cannibalism.
We humans could scare them away.

In fact, there are species that don’t prefer meat,
Such as some that live chiefly on seeds.
There is one with flat teeth in the genus Tometes
That munches on just river weeds.

Piranhas might go for a nearly dead human.
The same could be said of a vulture.
The latter’s not feared much, so why should the former?
It’s simply a myth of our culture.