Fish with human-like teeth caught off the coast of North Carolina's Outer Banks

People on the internet were left surprised as photos of a fish with multiple rows of human-like teeth went viral recently. The fish was caught in Nags Head, off the coast of Outer Banks in North Carolina, USA. Photos of the bizarre catch were posted by local business Jenette’s Pier on its Facebook page, stating that fisherman Nathan Martin caught the “nice toothy 9 lb” sheepshead fish on 3 August. In one of the photos, the fish can be seen with its mouth open, displaying its top and bottom sets of teeth that are remarkably similar to human beings. See the picture here

The pictures soon captured the imagination of people on the internet, with many users speculating about the type of fish in the photo. Others were freaked out by the peculiar features. The picture has garnered over 1,200 likes on social media and hundreds of comments. As per the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, sheepshead fish, also known as convict fish, are found near rocks, jetties, reefs, and even bridges. According to Scientific American, these fish are omnivores like human beings and use their teeth to crush their prey. Their diet comprises mostly crustaceans and shellfish. They use their human-like incisors to crush their food. They are commonly found around the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the US. This is not the first time when this species has gone viral. In February this year, a fisherman in Florida had caught a sheepshead fish and was puzzled by its dental features. The photos had created a buzz on social media even then.