A red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) photographed at Stuttgart Zoo, Germany.

Red-bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) — A red-bellied piranha at Stuttgart Zoo, Germany.

Creator: [FF23-fr](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:FF23-fr). CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence: [CC BY-SA 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

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Species record

Red-bellied Piranha

Pygocentrus nattereri

Explore the Red-bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The red-bellied piranha is a freshwater fish native to lowland South America east of the Andes, including the Amazon and Paraná basins. Adults feed mainly at dawn and dusk on insects, worms, and fish.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Chordates
  3. Subphylum: Vertebrates
  4. Class: Actinopterygii
  5. Order: Characiformes
  6. Family: Serrasalmidae
  7. Genus: Pygocentrus

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
freshwater rivers, creeks, interconnected ponds
Selected regions
South America
Selected countries
Brazil, Peru

Conservation status

The Ark records: Least Concern.

Did you know?

  • Adult red-bellied piranhas commonly feed at dawn and dusk, eating insects, worms, and fish.

More images

A red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) swims in an aquarium at Karlsruhe Zoo, Germany.

Red-bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) — A red-bellied piranha at Karlsruhe Zoo, Germany.

Creator: [H. Zell](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Llez). CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence: [CC BY-SA 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

View image source

Sources and attribution