Red-bellied Piranha

The red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) is really a beautiful fish. Unfortunately, it has sharp teeth and eats meat, and, as a result, there is a lot of hype that goes with this fish. I never actually had any problem with piranhas when I lived in the Peruvian Amazon (see Camu-camu and Umberto Pacaya). Never so much as a nibble from them, but I ate fried piranha for lunch on numerous occasions at Jenaro Herrera (see Jenaro Herrera). [NOTE: Piranha is tasty, but it's really hard to eat because of all the little bones. Image from Atlantis Marine World].

Shark Dive

Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, Long Island has many wonderful exhibits and is a fun place to spend the morning.  I was particularly taken by the Shark Dive (shown above), where for $155 you can put on a wet suit and scuba tanks, get in a metal cage, and be lowered into the aquarium's 120,000 gallon shark tank. I passed on this opportunity, but took some footage of what it looks like from the outside. [NOTE: Only $140 for members].