Strange Fish Alert! Piranha-Like Creature Found in Lake Meredith

Lake Meredith in the Texas panhandle is no stranger to legendary fish. There have been several times in recent history when the story of Meredith Mike, a monstrous fish that supposedly calls the waters of Lake Meredith home, has been a hot topic of conversation. A new fish has taken over the spotlight this week, largely because of the word "piranha".

Strange "Pirahna" Caught At Lake Meredith In Texas Panhandle

The fish looks scary if you are familiar with piranha at all. It resembles those nightmarish fish we all grew up fearing. In a strange twist, this odd catch at Lake Meredith only resembles a piranha. The truth about this fish is way less scary.

The Not-So-Terrifying Vegan Piranha Of Lake Meredith

This fish is not a terrifying piranha. Instead, it's a Pacu. The Pacu is a lot like your uncle who wears sweater vests compared to your uncle who drives a motorcycle and only gets paid in cash. The Pacu is more likely to get mugged leaving the ballet than its piranha cousin.

The Pacu is a fresh-water-loving vegetarian with teeth that are more like ours than the terrifying chompers that the piranha is swimming around with. Yes, there is a vegetarian fish that was swimming around Lake Meredith telling all the other fish that meat is murder. Obviously, Pacu is an invasive species in our area.

Canva

The not-so-funny part of this story is that this fish was probably someone's pet that got released for whatever reason. That's really sad. Even vegetarian fish deserve love too. These fish get abandoned a lot, and it's not because of their militant dietary choices. People usually aren't prepared for how big these fish can get. They can easily outgrow whatever aquarium you try to put them in.

Get our free mobile app

This fish is currently calling the Lake Meredith Aquatic and Wildlife Museum home. Keep in mind that abandoning your exotic pet fish in a random lake is a bad idea. Invasive species can wreck ecosystems, which will cut down on the good times we all get to have at the lake.