BATON ROUGE - A piranha native to South America was found in the University Lakes, though officials are unsure whether there are any more swimming around in Baton Rouge. 

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said the fish was found in the lakes earlier this week and identified as a Red-bellied Piranha. The species is native to the Amazon Basin and illegal to own or sell in Louisiana.

On Friday, the department said believes the piranha was kept as a pet and then illegally released into the lakes. LDWF added that it's investigating whether there are more of the illicit fish in the University Lakes system. 

Officials ask that anyone else who encounters a piranha not release it back into the water and contact LDWF at (225)765-0765.