12. The Candiru Fish
Although the Candiru Fish live in brackish or briny fresh water, and although they’re super tiny, they were just too terrifying to leave off of this list. They call Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru home and are also known as vampire fish; they’re actually a parasite of larger fish who feed off of the blood from their gills. While some can grow up to 16 inches in length, it’s the smaller creatures that spread fear into the hearts, and urinary tracts, of male humans. Tell your house guests about the Candiru Fish to guarantee they’ll never pee in your pool again. There is a lot of speculation as to whether or not this is true, but it is believed that the Candiru Fish are attracted to urine and will swim up the stream, into the male urethra, essentially lodging themselves into the penis, causing excruciating pain. Some local tribes in the 1800s were said to tie strings around their Johnsons to avoid a wiener attack. While this may seem like an urban legend there was a recorded case in 1997 with the specimen saved, after a two-hour penile operation.
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