piranha

A piranha (, or ; ) is any of a number of freshwater fish species in the subfamily Serrasalminae, of the family Serrasalmidae, in the order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, floodplains, lakes and reservoirs. Although often described as extremely predatory and mainly feeding on fish, their dietary habits vary extensively, and they will also take plant material, leading to their classification as omnivorous.

==Etymology== The name originates from Old Tupi pirãîa, from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *pirãj, being first attested in Vocabulário da Língua Brasílica, a 1585 Portuguese–Tupi bilingual dictionary, as a translation for scissors. The first description and attribution of this name to the fish would occur two years later, in the 1587 treatise '' by Portuguese explorer Gabriel Soares de Sousa.