Here's a fish story that can be believed – and that may cause the males among the human species to cross their legs and wear an, er, pained grimace.



A woman fishing with her husband on Lake St. Clair last week caught a 14-inch pacu, a South American relative of the piranha that has a reputation for eating the testicles of fishermen. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirms the 14-inch fish caught by Holley Luft, who spent July 9 on Lake St. Clair with her husband, Tom, was a pacu, WXYZ, Channel 7, reports.

The Lufts originally thought Holley had reeled in a bluegill until they looked more closely at the toothy fish. Then Tom wondered if it was a piranha and took the catch to the DNR for verification. State wildlife officials believe the omnivorous fish may have been dumped in the lake after it became too big – they can grow up to 55 pounds in the wild – or aggressive for a home aquarium.

Urban Legend? How aggressive are pacu?

In 2013, experts warned people, especially men, who skinny dip in Scandinavian waters separating Denmark and Sweden to be on guard because the Brazilian fish had been caught by an amatuer angler, NPR reports.

Henrick Carl, a fish expert at at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, explained the pacu's "mouth is not so big, so of course it normally eats nuts, fruit, and small fish, but human testicles are just a natural target."