‘Piranha’ attacks on Spanish beach? Not quite, but they still nibble. Abbreviation dug through the Great Wall of China: two people arrested

“‘Piranhas’ on the beach of Benidorm”, headlines a number of Spanish media humorously. In the British tabloids, it sounded more alarmist: “Express” talked about “Benidorm Horror” and “piranha-like fish attacks”. It was then illustrated as follows:

In fact, of course, these are not the notorious South American river fish, but ribbon bream. They look like this:

The fish, which grow to be 6 to 10 inches in length, like to nibble on anything edible, including warts, moles, or broken skin. Sometimes even minor bloody injuries can result from the fish’s sharp teeth.

On some days this summer, as many as 15 swimmers reported such minor injuries in Benidorm, reported the newspaper La Opinión de Murcia.

Warmer water increases metabolism

According to scientists, one of the reasons for the increased appetite of the fish is the higher water temperature due to climate change. This speeds up the fish’s metabolism, which therefore also needs more food, quotes the newspaper Alfonso Ramos, researcher at the Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology.

The Mediterranean Sea has been warming particularly quickly in recent years. Benidorm is currently measured up to 27 degrees, in August it was sometimes 30 degrees. (sda/dpa/jaw)