Article updated: 6/22/2012 6:29 PM

Piranha bites off Maine Township toddler’s fingertip

Buy this photo Buy this photo
Gallery Image

A piranha bit off the fingertip of an 18-month-old toddler who was playing near the family fish tank earlier this week in Maine Township, authorities said Friday.

Daily Herald File Photo

About this Article

A piranha kept as a pet by a Maine Township family bit off the fingertip of an 18-month-old toddler who had stuck her hand in the family's fish tank, authorities said Friday. The toddler's parents originally thought the family's pit bull had nipped off the girl's fingertip, but after she was transported to nearby Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, an emergency room doctor recognized it wasn't a dog bite. "We talked to the mom and asked what else could it be? She quickly said two piranhas were right in the vicinity of where she was playing," said Cook County Sheriff's Office spokesman Frank Bilecki said. "We know piranhas can bite."