Talk:Kali River goonch attacks

Evolutionary biology?

This tale is the rival of an H.P. Lovecraft story, but one vital element remains to be proved to make it perfect... the assertion that countless centuries of "gruesome heathen rituals" (as Lovecraft might put it) had led to the evolution of fish with a hunger for human flesh that have grown to monstrous size. It is possible to search for the hallmarks of selective pressure in the olfactory genes of the fish, or in genes affecting its growth... is anyone doing this?

Wnt (talk) 02:13, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

"Acquiring a taste" does not require a genetic change (see The Rats in the Walls or The Picture in the House), else I have evolved to prefer authentic Italian spaghetti over Chef Boyardee.

I believe the hypothesis is that incomplete cremations created a food source enabling a single specimen to grow large enough to prey on live humans. It seems unlikely that cooked remains would present the same olifactory cues as a live bather. Reportedly a water buffalo was also taken. LADave (talk) 19:58, 10 August 2013 (UTC)

Hoax

I consider it highly likely that the story has at a minimum been sensationalized and exaggerated, and that unsufficient scientific backing is present. (Even if the deaths, per se, have taken place.) 94.220.254.157 (talk) 20:35, 27 February 2010 (UTC)

I saw the story about this fish on Animal Planet's "River Monster's" hosted by biologist and river angler Jeremy Wade. The goonch being a maneater is his hypothesis and he did catch a 160lb specimen on the show (although he stated he thought that it would take a larger specimen to account for the attacks). His thesis may or may not be correct, but it certainly isn't a hoax. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.171.53.11 (talk) 01:58, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

There is absolutely no evidence to correlate the disappearances of the people to this fish. This whole article including it's title are misleading. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.148.224.151 (talk) 05:53, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

Basically this is a Wikipedia article about a TV show episode.207.238.48.147 (talk) 16:40, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

Wade's documentary presents an interview with a local man who describes an attack by the Goonch, although perhaps it wasn't an attack on a human. If the two human victims disappeared without a trace, this suggests they may have been consumed. A crocodilian Crocodylus palustris (Mugger) is an alternative, but these are only found at lower elevations in the Himalayan foothills, in slower and shallower water. Crocodile attacks involve a lot of commotion with large victims being drowned and dismembered in a "death roll" before being consumed. The reported attacks on the Kali River don't seem to fit this pattern, instead victims seem to have been swallowed whole after a brief struggle. LADave (talk) 20:30, 10 August 2013 (UTC)

I'm thinking I should just see what fish link to River Monsters and add them all to my watchlist. I've never watched the show, but it seems Jeremy Wade is incredibly good at sensationalizing and popularizing blatant misinformation. In spite of it being a jungle legend for centuries, there is no evidence that candirus invade human urethras (the supposed clinical case of a candiru attack Wade featured on his show is very...fishy). And the pacu doesn't chomp testicles; the reputation for this behavior in the popular media is almost entirely due to Wade.Plantdrew (talk) 02:17, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

See also this article on Snopes: "Giant Man-Eating Catfish" http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/giantcatfish.asp — Preceding unsigned comment added by Iwnit (talk • contribs) 21:05, 5 July 2015 (UTC)