Can The Candiru Fish Really Get Into The Urethra?

The Candiro fish is one of the most feared species in the Amazon, as there are hundreds of weird stories that can scare. It is said that this small animal has the ability to enter the penis, lie down in the urethra and live there as a parasite until it is surgically removed.

Due to these properties, the candiro fish is also known as “vampire fish” or “toothpick fish”. Popular stories tell that this animal is attracted to the smell of urine from humans and that is what motivates the attack. It is so far only known that it attacks other fish.

The candy fish lives on blood. Due to its small size, it is difficult to detect, especially in turbulent waters. It is said that it seizes every opportunity to enter the opening of the penis and cling to it with its sharp barbs. But is there really any truth behind all these claims?

What is the Candiro Fish?

The Candiro fish is a small animal that lives exclusively in the Amazon River  (Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia). It measures about 1 centimeter and looks similar to an eel, although it belongs to the catfish family.

This fish is a parasite. It has a set of spikes located on the front of the gills. With them, they attach to the gills of other fish and then feed on the blood from the host.

The candiro fish has no shells. The body is transparent, but becomes colored after feeding. It has a mouth lined with small needle-like teeth. Most of the time it lives in the riverbed and only shows up to mate or eat.

These fish prefer turbid waters. They penetrate the victim in less than a second. Once they have attached themselves to their prey, they twist and bring out a kind of umbrella with which they hook and secure themselves. Then they immediately begin to bite into the nearest artery with their sharp needle teeth.

What is said about the candiro fish?

Stories of candiru fish attacks on humans began to emerge in the 19th century. Essentially, the story goes that when a person urinates in the water, the fish swims up and penetrates the penis of the victim with great speed. It then climbs up to the urethra, where it clings. This causes great pain and makes urination difficult.

It is also said that it can jump in the water and climb up into the urine stream. Some claim that the candirufisk also penetrates the vagina or anus with similar effects. At the same time, some believe that it can lay eggs inside humans and create chaos on the body.

The most frightening of all, according to folktales, is that the only way to get rid of the Candiro fish is by amputating the penis. This would be the only way to prevent the animal from reaching the bladder, causing injury and causing death. There are several accounts of these mutilations.

The only documented case is the case of a man named Silvio Barbosa. In 1997, he was tried for a case like this in Manaus (Brazil). According to the allegations, he endured three days of pain before the doctor Anoar Samad, a urogenital surgeon, removed the Candirufisk from the urethra.

What is the truth?

There is a researcher at the University of Connecticut who has devoted several years to the study of the candirufisk. His name is Stephen Spotte, and his findings were collected in a book entitled Candiru: Life and Legend of the Bloodsucking Catfishes .

When Silvio Barbosa’s case was published, Spotte visited Dr. Anoar Samad to find out what had happened. He presented him with pictures, videos and even the preserved animal. None of this convinced the researcher. In his opinion, neither the story nor the samples were convincing.

As for the story, Spotte pointed out that in order for the Candiro fish to penetrate a stream of urine, it had to break the laws of physics. At the same time, the doctor said that he had removed the fish’s spine to remove it from the patient’s body. However, the sample was intact and did not have the characteristics of a typical candiru.

To confirm Candirufisk’s alleged attraction to urine, Spotte conducted an experiment in 2001. The entire study was published and the conclusion indicates that there is no evidence that this is true. The experiment showed that they were not fascinated by this drug.

The stories seem to be a myth

The data available so far allow us to establish that there is no evidence that the legend of the candirufisk is true. Although there are many accounts of alleged attacks by these fish, the truth is that there is no evidence that they are true.

Therefore, until solid evidence is found, the possibility that the Candiro fish can lie in the urethra in humans is nothing more than a myth. So there is no need to demonize this species or to fear it!