Animals
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CandiruThe candiru is the only fish in the Amazon which is more feared than the piranha. This is unusual for such a tiny fish – it only measures two and a half centimetres long. It prefers to live from the light, burrowed under sand or mud beneath stones and sunken logs. The candiru is a species of tiny catfish, and it is a parasite – which means that it attaches itself to other animals and lives by leeching blood and other nutrients from them. The candiru usually attaches itself to other fish, swimming into their gills then extending several spines located around its head so that it is held firmly in position. Extending its spines into the host animal's skin also starts a flow of blood which the candiru eagerly sucks up as a source of nutrients. Although it primarily attaches itself to other fish, the candiru also attaches itself to mammals swimming in the water – including humans. As such, it is the only vertebrate that parasitises Man. The main concern is that if an animal (or an unlucky swimmer) urinates while in the water, the flow of urine attracts the candiru into the urinary tract where it then lodges itself. The extension of the candiru's spines is not only extremely painful, but it also makes the fish almost impossible to remove. The only way to remove the fish is surgically, which needs to be performed quickly because blockage of the urinary tract is fatal. In some areas, the candiru is such a problem that swimmers need to wear protective sheaths when in the water. |
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