# That tropical fish that swims up the urethra **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2000, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334 "2000-05-02T04:23:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frank\_Stokes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4bbf92/32.png) [@Frank\_Stokes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_Stokes)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/1 "2000-05-02T04:23:57Z")
I’m eighty percent certain that there is a small fish in some South American rivers that is so attracted to urine that it will swim directly upstream to the source, thus lodging itself in the urethra of the offending party. With barbed spines like a stickleback, it goes in easy–like an umbrella up a chimney–but it must be [UGH] ripped out. If this is not a jungle legend and there is indeed such a fish, I need to know its scientific name. This information it vital if I am to complets a poem I’m working on. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/2 "2000-05-02T04:30:22Z")
Yeah, but I can’t remember the name. I think it is mentioned in Exotic Aquarium Fishes by William T. Innes. The natives that go in the water wear a…protective device. There are no entries in the index under urethra, urine or pee-pee and it’s a hefty tome. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/3 "2000-05-02T04:34:28Z")
A wonderful lady named Rhasody Angel over at snopes found this “I wonder if this jellyfish story didn’t morph from reports of a genuinely nasty fish in South America. It’s a very small member of the catfish family called candiru. It is, belive it or not, urinophilic. It swims into and up the urethra of human swimmers (more often male than female) and takes hold, like a parasite. It’s very painful, I’m told. When I first heard of a candiru, my reaction was “pull the other one, it’s got bells on.” But to my surprise, I’ve discovered it’s true: there really is such a fish and it does exactly what it’s reputed to. The earliest article about it that I’ve located is by Dr. J.R. Herman in the professional publication Urology published in March 1973; (volume 1, # 3, pages 265-7). More recently, candiru was discussed by Dr. J.L. Breault in the 1991 Journal of Wilderness Medicine (volume 2, # 4, pages 304-312). It’s also been mentioned in numerous travel articles and popular men’s health magazines in the last few years.” Rhapsody “amputation is not the cure” Angel ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/4 "2000-05-02T04:44:47Z")
There is no mention of candiru in Exotic Aquarium Fishes nor an entry of such a fish in the catfishes chapter, so my lead is probably a bust and I read about it somewhere else. Sorry, Dude. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/5 "2000-05-02T04:46:55Z")
[Fauna of the Amazon](http://www.marineex.com/amazonfauna.html): > [@](#): > > One Nasty Little Critter > The candiru acu, a minute catfish found in the waterways of the Amazon, is one of the most feared animals by locals. Almost invisible, the size of a toothpick, it swims with great energy against the stream and is known to force its way into the urethra of bathers (through the most unpleasant passageways), spreading its thorny spines outward once inside, thus making it excrutiatingly painful to extract, and this can only be done with surgery. Failure to do so can lead to death. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/6 "2000-05-02T04:55:26Z")
_Encyclopedia Britannica_ says: > [@](#): > > **candiru** > (Vandellia cirrhosa), scaleless, parasitic catfish of the family Trichomycteridae found in the Amazon River region. A translucent, eellike fish about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long, the candiru feeds on blood and is commonly found in the gill cavities of other fishes. It is sometimes also parasitic to humans and has been known to enter the urethras of bathers and swimming animals. Once in the passage, it erects the short spines on its gill covers and may thereby cause inflammation, hemorrhage, and even death to the victim. Note that **no mention is made of the creature swimming up a stream of urine**. That part may be a UL. ---
**Author:** ![SaxFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SaxFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaxFace)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/7 "2000-05-02T13:52:40Z")
Here’s some more info - with specific info on the stream of urine. [http://www.brazosport.cc.tx.us/~fshaffer/candiru.htm](http://www.brazosport.cc.tx.us/~fshaffer/candiru.htm) ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/8 "2000-05-02T14:08:08Z")
Until I read a reputable scientific report that specifically states that the fish swims up urine streams, I’m going to remain convinced that the popularity and perhaps origin of that tidbit lies in William Burrough’s discussion of it in Naked Lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/9 "2000-05-02T14:18:07Z")
This has come up before. Until otherwise documented, it’s a TL (tropical legend) instead of UL. There is not _one_ documented case of this ever having happened–only reports of people reporting that other people have said it. ---
**Author:** ![Breckinshire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@Breckinshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breckinshire)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/10 "2000-05-02T14:58:58Z")
TL or not, I’d still rather NOT take the chance, thank you very much. I’ll be cancelling my trip to the Amazon 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/11 "2000-05-03T02:55:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > There is no mention of candiru in Exotic Aquarium Fishes nor an entry of such a fish in the catfishes chapter, so my lead is probably a bust and I read about it somewhere else. Sorry, Dude. > > \*\* Well, geez. Of course! Who on earth would want one in their house?? ---
**Author:** ![Silo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Silo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/12 "2000-05-03T04:45:15Z")
I think a new form of capital punishment is in order. Everyone on death row should have their clothes ripped off, douced in urine. Then thrown into a tank full of thousands of these candiru thingies. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/13 "2000-05-03T05:35:19Z")
Yer in luck. Cecil just finished a column on the Candiru fish. It will be in the paper and then online in a few weeks. - Jill ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/14 "2000-05-03T05:53:50Z")
JillGat said “yer in luck.” If this critter truly lives up to its reputation, I think you’d have to say “yer in trouble.”😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/15 "2000-05-03T12:58:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*\* > > There is no mention of candiru in Exotic Aquarium Fishes nor an entry of such a fish in the catfishes chapter, so my lead is probably a bust and I read about it somewhere else. Sorry, Dude. > > > > \*\* > > Well, geez. Of course! Who on earth would want one in their house?? > \*\* Heck, I’d breed them and sell them on Ebay: “Unhappy with your Husband?..” ---
**Author:** ![writefetus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9de053/32.png) [@writefetus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/writefetus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/16 "2000-05-03T13:03:31Z")
:eek:…um, shouldn’t that be “urine luck” ? I am really sorry.😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/17 "2000-05-03T13:32:28Z")
Ow! White, may I use that if I pay you a precentage? ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/18 "2000-05-03T13:43:16Z")
There is a guy, I’m not making this up, who has a website about home protection who suggests putting a moat around your house and stocking it with pirhanas and candiru as “home security fish.” ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/19 "2000-05-03T14:52:46Z")
If the candiru story is a UL (or TL), it’s a very persistent and pervasive one. I first heard it from my ichthyology professor, but after I read this thread I thought, well he may have been taken in by it too. So I looked into references on the candiru (_Vandellia_ sp.), and found the following: > [@](#): > > The candiru is a tiny South American catfish that parasitizes larger fishes, living in their gill cavities. It is apparently attracted to urine and is reputed to enter the urethra of humans (Nelson, 1994). Surgery is required to remove it because of its recurved spines. Bond, C. 1996. _Biology of Fishes_, 2nd Ed. p. 638. The reference to Nelson is: Nelson, J.S. 1994. _Fishes of the World_, 3rd Ed. John Wiley and Sons, New York. While I understand your skepticism, I think in this case the story makes sense. The parasitic candiru finds potential hosts by following their nitrogenous wastes. If a human (or any other animal) in the water were to leave a trail of urine, the candiru would naturally act as though that animal were a potential host, find an orifice, and enter. The recurved spines are to prevent the candiru from being sprayed out as its host eliminates wastes. I’m not going into the water with one anytime soon. … Hope Cecil agrees with this. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334/20 "2000-05-03T15:19:32Z")
From here we can move on the the topic of urinating on electrified fences… I think I was so disbelieving of the candiru story because I envisioned someone standing on the bank of a rive and peeing into the water, and the fish leaping up the stream of pee like a salmon going up a fish-ladder or a rapids. IN the water I can understand, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-tropical-fish-that-swims-up-the-urethra/18334.md?page=2)