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pacu (PAH-koo) - n., any of several South American freshwater fishes (family Serrasalmidae) related to the piranha.
Unlike the piranha, pacu eat almost exclusively on plant matter. There's a few dozen species in eight genera, and some can get quite big:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The name is from Brazilian Portuguese, from Tupi paku. In the Brazilian Amazon, interestingly, the name is usually used only for the smaller to medium species.
---L.
Unlike the piranha, pacu eat almost exclusively on plant matter. There's a few dozen species in eight genera, and some can get quite big:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The name is from Brazilian Portuguese, from Tupi paku. In the Brazilian Amazon, interestingly, the name is usually used only for the smaller to medium species.
---L.
