The Truth Behind Super Mario's Piranha Plant

By Rachel Shackleton / February 9, 2019

Piranhas: Small carnivorous fish, possessing sharp teeth and powerful jaws, inhabiting South American waters. Plants: photosynthetic life forms that turn sunlight into energy through chloroplasts, making them appear green in colour.

In the Mushroom Kingdom, there exists a hybrid of both. The Piranha Plant, which appears throughout the many environments that our podgy plumber protagonist explores, is an oddly-designed, vicious enemy that can spit fireballs, grow legs, juggle spiked balls, and even uproot itself from its pipe entirely.

But did you know that they actually exist? On Earth?

This is the little-known story of the real life Piranha Plant....