Nature is indeed full of wonders. This week, a photo of a fish posted in one social media account went viral because of its bizarre look that caught the attention of many people.
The fish is no ordinary aquatic animal because it has a mouth like that of a sheep and human-like teeth. As reported by MSN, this creature is called a sheepshead fish (Archosargus probatocephalus) or also known as convict fish, for its dark stripes on its gray body like a prisoner jumpsuit.
Sheepshead Fish Caught in North Carolina
Tuesday, August 3, anglers at Jennette's Pier in North Carolina were amazed to reel up something unexpected from the Atlantic Ocean. It is a fish with human teeth.
The photo of sheepshead fish was shared on Facebook by Jennette's Pier. According to BBC News, the fish has caught people's attention because of its unique set of teeth that looks like human teeth. It was reportedly caught by a man named Nathan Martin, who is a regular to the fishing destination in Nag's Head, North Carolina.
Martin revealed that he had been hoping to catch a sheepshead fish when, fortunately, he did catch one and came face-to-face to a sea creature that has a mouthful of human-like teeth.
"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 as cited by BBC News.
The photo is captioned with the hashtag #bigteethbigtimes. Some commenters jokingly asked whether this fish could be the source of dentures, and some commented that the fish has even better teeth than them.
Sheepshead Fish: The Sea Creature With Human-like Teeth
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, sheepshead fish have a deep and compressed body shape with five to six dark stripes. They also have sharp dorsal spines and frontal teeth that resemble human teeth, which help them crush shells of oysters, clams, crustaceans, and a bit of plant.
This human-toothed fish may be found all along the Atlantic coast from New York to Brazil, including Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, where it acquired its name.
Moreover, Live Science reported that this fish is like humans in the sense that they have an omnivorous diet. They have three rows of molars in their upper jaw and two rows in their lower jaw. But it is their incisors that closely look like human teeth that are even covered with enamel.
Experts said that sheepshead fish gradually develop these teeth throughout its lifetime as it grows, eating soft-bodied animals and shellfish-heavy menus. As seen in the photo shared on Facebook, there are two rows of molars developing at the lower jaw of the fish.
Even with its unique appearance, collections manager for ichthyology at the California Academy of Sciences David Catania said that sheepshead fish do not pose any threat to humans unless they are harassed. They are even hunted by anglers because they taste good, although they might get bitten or poked by the sharp dorsal fin of the fish.
Check out more news and information on Fish in Science Times.
