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Wildlife Vampires – Part 4
Wildlife Vampires Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Happy Halloween! We’ve saved the best for last.
There are several species of diminutive candiru catfish that inhabit South American rivers. They seek out larger fish and use their spiny mouths to attach themselves to the gills of their victims, where they make an incision with their teeth and drink their fill of fish blood.
Candiru also have spines on the body which they jab into the flesh of their victim, making any attempt at forcible removal extremely painful.
Some species actually burrow inside the bodies of their prey, leaving a wound that looks like a bullet hole. Once inside they suck blood from the internal organs. Few things are more horrifying than even the thought of that!
VIDEO: Watch this video of the candiru from the BBC:
Written by David Mizejewski
