North Carolina: An unusual fish that appears to have a set of human-like teeth was caught by a man off the Outer Banks in the US, pictures of which have freaked out social media users. The fish had teeth on the bottom and top of its mouth. Pictures of the bizarre-looking fish was posted by Jennette’s Pier on Facebook, saying fisherman Nathan Martin caught the “nice toothy 9 lb” sheepshead fish. Notably, the Sheepshead fish have several rows of molars in its mouth, used for crushing oysters and other prey.
According to News Observer, Martin said he was out fishing with his twin brother on Monday when he spotted the fish. “It’s a very good fight when you’re fighting on the line, it’s a really good catch, and it tastes very good,” he told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
See the pictures here:
Meanwhile, people were creeped out to see pictures of the fish, with one user saying, “Omg that’s crazy I would drop and run.” A second user wrote, ”Those fish have the freakiest teeth. They eat crabs.”
The fish is known as ‘poor man’s crab’ around his parts, he said, because they are easy to catch and taste like crab meat. They are usually found near rocks, jetties, reefs, and even bridges.
“They are generally found year-round in North Carolina’s coastal waters ranging from inshore brackish waters to offshore rocky bottom,” the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality said on its website.
Back in February also, a similar-looking fish was caught by Paul Lore near Melbourne in the US state of Florida.