• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • WATCH NEWS
    • WHAT’S ON FOX
  • ABOUT
    • Meet Our Team
      • Our Journalists
      • Sales & Programming
      • Job Openings
    • Contact WSFX
      • Sales & Programming
  • Welcome Home
  • Go With The Pros
  • Medically Speaking
  • Wilmington Eats

Fox Wilmington WSFX-TV

Wilmington, NC | Local news Weather and Sports

  • Local News
    • Unsung Heroes
      • Nominate an Unsung Hero
  • Coronavirus
  • Local Weather
  • National
  • Sports
    • Carolina Panthers
    • Panthers Game Schedule
  • Politics
    • NC Voter Information
  • Health
  • MORE…
    • Entertainment
      • What’s on TV?
    • Technology
    • Science
    • Lifestyle
    • What’s Happening Wilmington

Piranha teeth stun researchers after amazing discovery

October 16, 2019 By James Rogers

Piranhas are notorious for their razor-sharp teeth, but a new study of the dangerous fish has surprised researchers, revealing just how remarkable their teeth actually are.

The research notes that the fearsome fish, which are omnivores, are able to regenerate rows of teeth simultaneously. The teeth are also interlocked, which makes them act as a single unit, researchers discovered.

“The teeth form a solid battery that is locked together, and they are all lost at once on one side of the face,” said one of the study’s co-authors, Adam Summers, in a statement. “The new teeth wear the old ones as ‘hats’ until they are ready to erupt. So, piranhas are never toothless even though they are constantly replacing dull teeth with brand new sharp ones.”

1 / 1A CT-scanned image of the piranha Serrasalmus medinai. Note the ingested fish fins in its stomach. (University of Washington)

1 / 1A CT-scanned image of the piranha Serrasalmus medinai. Note the ingested fish fins in its stomach. (University of Washington)

FLESH-EATING PIRANHA-LIKE FISH’S 150-MILLION-YEAR-OLD REMAINS DISCOVERED IN GERMANY

“I think in a sense we found a solution to a problem that’s obvious, but no one had articulated before,” Summers added, referring to the issue of how piranahas regenerate teeth.

Piranhas regenerate their teeth multiple times throughout their lives.

The researchers used a CT to scan different piranhas to make the observation that it becomes hard to replace a single tooth, a discovery that the study’s lead author, Matthew Kolmann, likened to “a missing link in an assembly line.”

SNAKEHEAD FISH DISCOVERED IN GEORGIA, SPARKS WARNING FROM WILDLIFE OFFICIALS: ‘KILL IT IMMEDIATELY’

A CT-scanned image of the piranha Serrasalmus medinai. Note the ingested fish fins in its stomach. Credit: University of Washington

A CT-scanned image of the piranha Serrasalmus medinai. Note the ingested fish fins in its stomach. Credit: University of Washington

“With interlocking teeth, the fish go from having one sharp tooth that can crack a nut or cut through flesh to a whole battery of teeth,” said another co-author, Karly Cohen, in the statement. “Among piranhas and pacus there’s a lot of diversity in how the teeth lock together, and it seems to relate to how the teeth are being used.”

The study has been published in the scientific journal Evolution & Development.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Filed Under: Science

Primary Sidebar

 

Follow Us On Facebook



TRENDING NOW

Here’s your chance to give back on #GivingTuesday

Authorities turn to toxicology lab in mysterious deaths of 21 teens at South Africa nightclub

Photos of Luke Kuechly through his Panthers career

George Gascon ripped by murder victim’s mother for claiming he made LA County safer: This is ‘on your back’

Stanley Cup 2022: Avalanche’s title latest boon for Stan Kroenke

Alabama TikTok star confirms son killed in shooting, calls on followers to find answers

Footer

PUBLIC FILE INFO

Individuals with disabilities who have questions about the content of our public file or website may contact Isabella Gano by phone at
(910) 343-8826 or by email at Isabella.gano@foxwilmington.com

 
 » WSFX FCC Public File
»EEO Report
»Closed Captioning

 

  • Home
  • WATCH NEWS
    • WHAT’S ON FOX
  • ABOUT
    • Meet Our Team
      • Our Journalists
      • Sales & Programming
      • Job Openings
    • Contact WSFX
      • Sales & Programming
  • Welcome Home
  • Go With The Pros
  • Medically Speaking
  • Wilmington Eats

 

  • Local News
    • Unsung Heroes
      • Nominate an Unsung Hero
  • Coronavirus
  • Local Weather
  • National
  • Sports
    • Carolina Panthers
    • Panthers Game Schedule
  • Politics
    • NC Voter Information
  • Health
  • MORE…
    • Entertainment
      • What’s on TV?
    • Technology
    • Science
    • Lifestyle
    • What’s Happening Wilmington

Copyright © 2022 · American Spirit Media LLC · WSFX TV · Wilmington NC · Terms of Service · Privacy Policy