Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Characidae
- Genus
- Serrasalmus
- Species
- manueli
Habitat
This species inhabits freshwater rivers, streams, and flooded forests in the Amazon Basin, including the Xingu, Amazon, and Orinoco rivers. It prefers warm, slow-moving waters with plenty of vegetation for cover and is commonly found in areas with acidic, murky water. Geographic preferences include Brazil, Peru, and Colombia.
Diet
Manueli's piranha primarily feeds on smaller fish, insects, and crustaceans, but also consumes fruits and seeds when available. It exhibits opportunistic feeding behavior, often attacking in schools during dawn and dusk when prey is most active. Feeding times peak in the early morning and late afternoon.
Behavior
Manueli's piranha is highly social, forming schools of up to several hundred individuals for protection and hunting. It is diurnal, most active during the day, and displays territorial behavior around breeding sites. Notable behaviors include rapid, coordinated attacks on prey and a tendency to scatter when threatened.
Conservation Status
Listed as Not Evaluated by IUCN.