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- Red-bellied piranha
Red List Status:
Not Evaluated
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Did you know?
Diet
Red-bellied piranha spend most of their time hunting for food - eating insects, worms, snails, fish, plants, seeds and fruit. The presence of blood in the water turns the feeding into a frenzy. They have extremely sharp, pointed, triangular teeth that can puncture, tear and crush their prey.
Fun fact
Red-bellied piranha can make barking, croaks and drumbeat sounds if they feel afraid, threatened, or are claiming territory over other fish.
Habitat
They live in the lakes and rivers of South America, swimming and hunting in groups called a shoal. These groups can include more than a 100 piranha. When threatened, the shoal will group together and take down the predator.
Beautiful steel grey in colour mixed with silvery gold and a bright orange-red throat and belly helps the Red-bellied piranha camouflage itself in the muddy waters it lives in. The female can lay up to 5 thousands eggs at a time. The eggs are laid in the sand, below the water source in which they live that has been dug by her mate. After fertilisation, the eggs attach themselves to the plants at the bottom of the water source. The male will then act as the eggs protector, becoming very territorial, warning anyone off that poses a threat, until the eggs hatch a few days after. Red-bellied piranhas can grow up to 40cm and have a lifespan of 10-20 years.
Animal zone
Deep Blue One
Deep Blue One is home to an array of colourful tropical fish, amazing corals and large mangrove trees.
The Deep is open daily from 10am – 6pm Monday - Friday and 9am - 6pm weekends & school holidays (last entry 5pm)
Car parking is available at a cost of £3 for six hours. It can become full during school holidays – alternative car parks can be found here.
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SAT NAV (HU9 1TU) this will take you to Tower Street, Hull, the nearest main road to The Deep.
| Type of ticket | Online |
|---|---|
| Adult | £16.50 |
| Child (3 - 15) | £13.00 |
| Under 3s/Essential carers | FREE |
| Student*/Senior | £15.50 |
* Students must provide a valid NUS card or proof of age is required for school/sixth form students
Please click here to see The Deep's terms and conditions of entry
Public transport information
The Deep takes the safety and security of its staff and visitors seriously and continues to work with Counter Terrorism Police Officers to review security regimes on a regular basis.
The Deep reserves the right to carry out random bag searches at reception. To minimise delays, please avoid bringing large bags and rucksacks into the attraction.
More information can be found on how to play your part here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stay-safe-film https://www.mi5.gov.uk/what-you-can-do
