Fish With “Human Teeth” Caught Off North Carolina Pier
on Aug 06, 2021
Jennette’s Pier in Nag’s Head, North Carolina shared a photo of a fish caught by a man on the pier and it looks like it has teeth like a human’s.
“It’s a very good fight when you’re fighting on the line, it’s a really good catch, and it tastes very good,” BBC reported the fisherman saying.
The catch happened on August 3rd in wind-blown seas coming from the northeast at 16 knots and the water temperature sitting at about 77 degrees.
“Low tides 9:55 a.m. and 11:28 p.m. High tide 4:34 p.m. A happy Nathan Martin of South Mills caught this nice toothy 9 lb. SHEEPSHEAD yesterday,” Jennette’s Pier wrote on Facebook.
The sheepshead fish, also scientifically known as the Archosargus probatocephalus, can grow up to 30 inches long, but more commonly recorded to reach 10 to 20 inches.
Sheepsheads have a hard mouth with multiple rows of teeth. Stubby molars in the back of the fish’s mouth help the marine animal crunch down on its food while its front teeth closely resemble human teeth.
The fish’s diet consists of oysters, clams, and other bivalves, and barnacles, fiddler crabs, and other crustaceans. It has five or six dark bars on the side of the body over a gray background. View the fish in the video below to learn more.
