Scandinavian men have been told that it's now safe to go back in the water - because claims that a testicle-munching fish have invaded are probably untrue.

Reports of the preferred snack of the pacu - a sharp-toothed cousin of the piranha - caused panic among swimmers.

A Danish fisherman caught the pacu in his nets while fishing in the Oeresund Strait - the channel of water separating Denmark and Sweden. And a Danish fish expert's joke alarmed many men.

"If they bite, they can bite hard ... especially when they bite you where you really don't want to be bitten," said Peter Resk Moeller, of the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

However, Mr Moeller was forced on Tuesday to clarify that he was joking - and that the pacu is unlikely to feast on human flesh.

"All we said last week (with a smile) was that male swimmers should keep their pants on in case there are more pacus out there in our cold Baltic waters," Mr Moeller told National Geographic magazine.

"Its teeth and powerful bite can for sure be dangerous, but to meet one here and [have it bite you] is highly unlikely, of course."

The pacu that was found is the only one that has ever been caught in the wild in Scandinavian waters. It was captured on August 4.

The Telegraph