A fish with human-like teeth and a smile that only a mother could love is causing a buzz on social media after being snagged in the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this week.
Fishermen in Nags Head assure the public the sheepshead fish is not a freak of nature despite its unusual grin.
Nathan Martin reeled in the toothy 9-pound biter on Jennette’s Pier, which posted photos of the bizarre-looking animal to its Facebook page on Tuesday.
“It’s a very good fight when you’re fighting on the line, it’s a really good catch, and it tastes very good,” Martin told McClatchy News.
Not to be confused with the deadly piranha, sheepshead fish are harmless to humans and are known to gather this time of year near rocks, jetties, reefs and bridges.
The fish uses incisors and several rows of molars for more than just smiling for the camera — its teeth evolved for crushing prey like barnacles, shellfish and crustaceans.
The species is also known as the “convict fish” because of its black-and-white stripes.
The hashtag #bigteethbigtimes began trending on Facebook after the catch.
One user asked, “Is this where dentures come from?”
“I know people who would love to have that many teeth,” someone else said.
“That fish has better teeth than me,” another person wrote.
Someone also said “they’re extremely good to eat.”
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