Candiru: Life and Legend of the Bloodsucking Catfishes

by Stephen Spotte

Of the many legends to emerge from the vast Amazon basin of South America, none is stranger than the story of the candiru. This sinuous little catfish is said to force its way into the urogenital openings of unsuspecting bathers, causing excrutiating pain and even death. Stephen Spotte spent four years investigating the biology of these near-mythical creatures and the reports of their attacks on humans, starting with accounts of early European explorers. His tale is an intricate, compelling mosaic of science and lore. Are the legends true? Read "Candiru" and find out.

Genres: Nonfiction, Natural History

322 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

Stephen Spotte, a marine scientist born and raised in West Virginia, is the author of 23 books including seven works of fiction and two memoirs. Spotte has also published more than 80 papers on marine biology, ocean chemistry and engineering, and aquaculture. His field research has encompassed the Canadian Arctic, Bering Sea, West Indies, Indo-West Pacific, Central America, and the Amazon basin of Ecuador and Brazil. ANIMAL WRONGS is his fifth novel. He lives in Longboat Key, Florida.

Reviews

[Apostate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spotte's book is a fascinating & well-researched work on a disgusting little fish from South America that I had thought entirely mythical (or mythologized at least). While he doesn't have all the answers, Spotte was still very informative.