On a trip to PetSmart yesterday to get a new goldfish for my son Jack, I was dismayed to find a tank filled with Pacu. I know most of you just went “huh?” Most pet stores bill Pacu as “vegetarian Piranha,” but the truth is this little fish can be even deadlier than its Piranha cousin.

Pacu are mainly found in South America, and it was believed that this species were herbivores. That belief was incorrect. Even though Pacu don’t have a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth like Piranha, they do have teeth (that resemble human teeth) and they are omnivorous.

It is illegal to release Pacu into the wild because they are an invasive species. They are so aggressive they can damage a local ecosystem and take over pretty rapidly. In some places, like Texas, there are bounties on the fish and the toothy fish has even been caught in Lake Lowell, the Snake River, Settler’s Pond, and Sawyer’s Pond right here in Idaho.

Idaho Fish and Game says putting fish into Idaho ponds without a permit is illegal, and depending on the situation–could have some very bad consequences. The wrong kind of fish being placed into the wrong body of water cause concerns about diseases and problems when it comes to competition with other fish.

I’ve read accounts of Pacu biting toddler’s fingers, attacking swimmers in rivers, and even leaping from the tank to bite their owner’s nose. Two fisherman were attacked and bled to death on Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River due to grisly injuries to their genitals. They may not have a Piranha’s sharp teeth, but make no mistake these are aggressive fish that can adapt and overrun an ecosystem.

And that leads me to my question: why is PetSmart selling what’s basically a Piranha as a pet?

These are a known dangerous and invasive species and don’t strike me as a good pet. Do you really want a pet that can take a bite out of you? Don’t we as a race have more sense than that?