Can you explain what's happening in this strange photo?
gor Yakunin/AP Images
What’s going on with these wet feet?
Pick the explanation you think is correct. Give two reasons to support your answer.
A. Baby piranhas are attacking a swimmer.
B. A person fell into an aquarium tank.
C. The fish are feasting on a person’s dead skin cells.
Pause your scrolling. Think about three reasons to support your answer.
izusek/Getty Images (Child); Igor Yakunin/AP Images (Feet)
Now let’s find out what’s really going on . . .
MD von der Hocht/Shutterstock.com
If you answered C, you’re right!
These aren’t baby piranha attacking—they’re a different type of fish having a snack! They are nibbling on dead skin from a person’s feet. Putting your feet into a tank of hungry fish might make you squirm. But it’s common in some parts of the world.
The fish doing this odd job are a species called Garra rufa. In the wild, they live in freshwater lakes and rivers in Western Asia. They’ve evolved to eat almost anything they can find, from tiny swimming animals to algae.
Natalya Temnaya/Shutterstock.com
When someone puts their feet in the tank, the fish get to work. They don’t have teeth, so they use their lips to suck up loose, dead skin. Some say it tickles—but it doesn’t hurt!
Why get a fish-powered pedicure? Your skin is always renewing itself. Eventually, old skin flakes away and new skin takes its place. These hungry fish are speeding up that process. The fish get a meal, and customers walk away with softer feet!
Would you dip your toes in for a fishy spa day?
