Pacu
Common name for several species of fish / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about several fish species commonly called "pacu". For the medical recovery unit, see PACU. For other uses, see Pacu (disambiguation).
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Genera ...
Pacu | |
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Large pacu at the Shedd Aquarium | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Characiformes |
Family: | Serrasalmidae |
Genera | |
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Pacu (Portuguese pronunciation: [paˈku]) is a common name used to refer to several species of omnivorous South American freshwater serrasalmid fish related to piranhas. Pacu and piranha do not have similar teeth, the main difference being jaw alignment; piranha have pointed, razor-sharp teeth in a pronounced underbite, whereas pacu have squarer, straighter teeth and a less severe underbite, or a slight overbite.[1] Pacu, unlike piranha, mainly feed on plant material and not flesh or scales.[2] Additionally, the pacu can reach much larger sizes than piranha, at up to 1.08 m (3 ft 6+1⁄2 in) in total length and 40 kg (88 lb) in weight.[3]