BATON ROUGE, La. — A piranha has been found in a lake at Louisiana State University, and fisheries agents are looking, in case there are more, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said May 28.
The red piranha found earlier in the week was probably a pet that someone released into University Lakes, a news release said.
Piranhas are native to the Amazon Basin in South America, and it’s illegal to possess or sell them in Louisiana, the department said.
“While their reputation in popular culture labels them as a vicious predator, piranhas are more likely to scavenge for dead or dying prey, including fish or crustaceans,” the news release said.
Still, it advised people who see a red piranha to be cautious.
“If you have information, or if you think you caught a piranha, please do not return it to the water,” it said; instead, contact state officials.
Drone video shows endangered whales appearing to embrace
WOODS HOLE, Mass. — Were these whales really hugging — or was it just a fluke?
Drone video of two critically endangered North Atlantic right whales swimming in Cape Cod Bay shows the animals appearing to embrace one another with their flippers.
Wildlife photographer Brian Skerry and scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the New England Aquarium captured the moment on Feb. 28 as the whales interacted.
Woods Hole scientists say such behavior is rarely observed and that it may have been the first time a whale hug was recorded from the air.
“Researchers saw what appeared to be whales hugging with their flippers, technically described as ‘belly to belly:’ perhaps showing affection and attempts at mating,” the research team said in a statement.
North Atlantic right whales are some of the planet’s most endangered animals, with the known population estimated at just 360. The whales are susceptible to ship strikes and potentially lethal entanglements with commercial fishing gear.
Scientists say there’s a bright spot: The whales gave birth over the past winter in greater numbers than scientists have seen since 2015.
