The truth is that the piranha is really a much more nuanced animal than the mindless killer depicted in the media in fact piranhas are a group made up of approximately twelve different species each piranha species occupies its own ecological niche one type of piranha takes chunks out of the fins of other fish another type eats fruit falling from trees into the river each piranha species plays a unique role in the ecology of the rainforest floodplains so what should you do next time you hear someone talking about the "deadly piranha"?you can remind them that the piranha is not always the notorious killer fish that the tough muscular herose of popular nature television shows would have us believe