Fish Which ‘Bites Men’s Testicles Off' Could Be On Way To British Rivers

It’s the stuff of men’s nightmares – a fish with strange human-like teeth and a rumoured habit of biting human testicles.

The ‘Nutcracker’ or ‘Pacu’ fish has been reported to bite off the testicles of swimmers and fishermen – and was sighted last year near Philadelphia.

It’s the latest in a string of sightings of the fish outside its native habitat, the Amazon - and the fish has been sighted in Denmark and in Paris in recent years.

Now the Daily Mirror claims that fish experts have warned that aquarium specimens may be set free in Britain’s waterways.

In America, Department of Environmental Protection officials have said, that the alleged ball-biters are sometimes kept as pets – then released into public waterways.

Fish expert Henrik Carl explained: ‘The Pacu is not normally dangerous to people but it has quite a serious bite.

‘There have been incidents in other countries, such as Papua New Guinea, where some men have had their testicles bitten off.

‘They bite because they’re hungry, and testicles sit nicely in their mouth.’

It’s worth noting that while reports have circulated about the fish attacking humans, there has never been a verified report of anyone losing an organ to a pacu.