Actually, that'd be a misnomer. Piranhas are freshwater fish. And not to be confused with the near-academy-award-winning film of the same name, piranhas are actually camera-shy and not very good actors. Many aquatic species tend to be named on lists, especially given our ever increasing environmental sensitivities.
The piranha happens to be blacklisted. In some states it's illegal to own, sell, or breed these fine-finned fellas. The late night image of your pet piranha biting your hand off during feeding time is pretty much just a late night vision. But then we'd ask why you'd stick your hand in the tank with a known meat-eater. In the early days, explorers used to tell stories about droves of men being lost to large schools of piranhas. Chances were they might have been nipped at but certainly were not dragging bloody limbs out of the water.
Piranhas, while both a hunter and a scavenger, will most prefer to be a scavenger. After all, the easiest meals are the ones that float to you, dead. They are typically small in size, but what we consider small can be a linebacker equivalent in the fish terms. Growing to several inches (usually 10" at the max), these fish are traditionally found in warm fresh water locations like South America. Coloring can vary, but not by great degrees. They generally have a dark, silver alloy coloring on their backs and a lighter, sometimes fiery, coloring on their bellies to ward off potential attackers.
Overall, their behavior is a lot like their cousins. They swim in schools for protection, hunting, and socializing. So the next time you see a piranha, just know that he's probably more scared of you than you are him. Except that he has sharper teeth and could probably take off a finger.
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