Fish that swims into penis

Removal can be very difficult, as the barbs face one direction only, and pulling on the fish only causes them to sink deeper into the walls of the urethra. All we have are a few historical anecdotes and one very dubious recent case. Futurism July 21, The Candiru is able to sneak up on its hosts by merit of its small size and light-colored, somewhat transparent appearance. Other sources also suggest that other tribes in the area used various forms of protective coverings for their genitals while bathing, though it was also suggested that these were to prevent bites from piranha. George Albert Boulenger, the curator of Fishes at the British Museum outlined an impressive system of bathhouses, put together by the natives, that allowed them to bathe without ever fully entering the river.

In , Stephen Spotte of the University of Connecticut at Avery Point and his colleagues set out to test this idea, without putting anyone's genitals at risk. It is important never to underestimate the power of the natural world to amaze, but it is equally important to carry on questioning everything, and not to let horror stories scare us away from the water. Specially-constructed penis guards for protection against, for example, piranhas, could be misidentified as anti-candiru technology.