Elongate Piranha

Serrasalmus elongatus breaks the archetypal piranha body plan with a distinctly elongated, torpedo-like profile and a long projecting snout. This morphology is an adaptation for lepidophagy (scale-eating) and pterygophagy (fin-eating), ambushing other fish from behind and raking off scales or biting off fin rays.

In captivity, S. elongatus must be kept alone or with fish large enough that it cannot harass them, though even then fin-nipping is likely. Despite its smaller apparent bulk compared to rounder piranhas, it is fast, precise, and unpredictable. Water should be soft and warm, replicating Amazonian blackwater.

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