Penis Fish

Below is an email that my parents just sent me. I am glad that they sent it to me AFTER I swam (and peed) in the Amazon River. Thanks mom and dad...

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This interesting amazon fish is the story line on "Grey's Anatomy'
Having just visited the Amazon I thought you would find fascinating.


The candirú or canero (Vandellia cirjjkkrhosa) or toothpick fish is a freshwater fish in the group commonly called the catfish. It is found in the Amazon River and has a reputation among the natives as the most feared fish in its waters, even over the piranha. The species has been known to grow to a size of 6 inches in length and is eel shaped and translucent, making it
almost impossible to see in the water. The candirú is a parasite.

The candirú parasitizes other fish. It swims into the gill cavities of
other fish, erects a spine to hold itself in place, and feeds on the blood in
the gills, earning it a nickname as the "vampire fish of Brazil". Recent research [1] has shown that candirú do not suck blood, but rather latch on to an artery and have blood pumped into them.

It is feared by the natives because it is attracted to urine or blood[2], and if the bather is nude it will swim into an orifice (the anus or vagina, or even the penis—and deep into the urethra). It then erects its spine and begins to feed on the blood and body tissue just as it would from the gills of a fish. The candirú is then almost impossible to remove except through surgery. As the fish locates its host by following the water flow from the gills to its source, urinating while bathing increases the chance of a candirú homing in on a human urethra.

A well-circulated myth is that the candirú is capable of swimming up the stream of urine in mid-air to a victim standing on shore or a boat. However this is physically impossible as the maximum swimming velocity of the fish is opposed by the downward velocity of the urine stream, and the further impossible act of the 5-14 mm wide fish maintaining position and thrust within a 2-7 mm wide column of fluid.

A traditional cure involves the use of two plants, the Xagua plant
(Genipa americana) and the Buitach apple which are inserted (or their extract in the case of tight spaces) into the affected area. These two plants together will kill and then dissolve the fish. More often, infection causes shock and death in the victim before the candirú can be removed. Though there have been documented candirú attacks on humans, there is no evidence the fish can survive once inside a human. It was recently sought after by Nick Baker, a wildlife specialist on British TV in a series about the world's strangest animals. Although the fish might not live in humans, the producers of Grey's Anatomy have felt it correct to show that the fish can live in humans. The candirú was featured on episode 3.21, "Desire", of Grey's Anatomy.