Did anyone tell the Amazon swimmer about the candirú? « piran café
In its preview of Slovenian marathon swimmer Martin Strel’s upcoming attempt to swim the entire length of the Amazon river, they left out the candirú, the Amazon’s most notorious fish, and the only known vertebrate to parasitize humans. It’s a fish that has no enemies, and is more feared than the piranha. Particularly by men who are foolhardy enough to urinate in the river while skinny-dipping. Attracted to the smell, Vandellia cirrhosa will follow the urine’s path, swim into the penis, and, with it’s umbrella-like spines, lodge itself inside the urethra. Removal is grim.
There even is a song about the experience. Click on the drawing to hear.
Listen to NPR coverage:
They just addressed this issue on Grey’s Anatomy. I wonder how many watching thought it was fiction.
did the guy die?
Actually he finished the swim.and said it was the hardest thing he had ever done.- webmaster.