食人鱼!对大多数人来讲，这个名字会使人联想起邪恶鱼群的恐怖电影，这种鱼能使人在几分种之内变成一个骨架。
But do they really deserve this fearsomereputation? Piranhas are freshwater fish that arefound in rivers and floodplains of South America. Themost well-known species is the red-bellied piranha,but there are nearly forty other different species ofpiranha.
然而它们真的配得上这样恐怖的名声吗?食人鱼是一种淡水鱼类，多发现于河流及南美涝原上。最出名的种群莫过于红肚水虎鱼，不过水虎鱼的种类其实有大约四十种。
They aren't very large, but do have a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and a strong jaw. So itmay surprise you to learn that piranhas are not the bloodthirsty killers portrayed in films. Theyaren't even strict carnivores!
它们体型不大，但嘴巴里布满了如刮胡刀般锋利的牙齿和强壮的下颚。所以当了解到食人鱼并非如电影里刻画的那样残忍嗜血时，你肯定会感到惊讶。严格来说，它们甚至连食肉动物都不算!
Most piranha species are omnivores and scavengers. Their diet is mostly made of insects andother fish, but also plants. During the rainy season when food is plentiful, piranhas eat moreplants and insects. But in the dry season when ponds and rivers dry up and food becomes morescarce, piranha turn to meat-eating, usually in the form of other fish. Piranhas occasionallybite humans or other mammals when very hungry or threatened, but serious attacks areextremely rare.
大多种类的食人鱼是杂食动物、食腐动物。它们多以昆虫以及其它鱼类为食，但也吃植物。在雨季食物丰富时，食人鱼多数吃植物和昆虫。遇上旱季河流和湖泊干涸时，食物变得匮乏，食人鱼就开始吃肉，基本上是吃其他鱼类。但在饥饿或者受到威胁时，食人鱼偶尔会攻击人类或其他哺乳动物，但很少出现严重袭击事件。
Another common belief is that piranha form large schools for hunting, allowing them to attacklarger prey than a single fish could. However, researchers found that piranha most likely grouptogether as a defense against such predators as river dolphins, caimans and bigger fish, andnot to engage in feeding-frenzies.
人们普遍认为食人鱼聚成一大群是为了捕食，这样相对于单兵作战更易捕猎到较大的猎物。但是，研究者们发现食人鱼拉帮结伙更多是为了抵御食肉动物——如河豚、凯门鳄和一些大型鱼类的攻击，而不是忙于觅食。
Despite their sharp teeth and nasty reputation, these scavengers really spend their daysgrazing on different foods in their environment and huddle together for safety.
尽管它们牙齿锋利，臭名昭著，但这些食腐动物的确是以在自己的地盘觅食度日，出于安全原因才群聚在一起。
So while piranha may not win your hearts with cuddly good looks, they are probably morevictim than vicious.
食人鱼没有可爱的样貌来赢得你心，与此同时它们更有可能是受害者。
