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Fish with 'human teeth' caught in North Carolina

Photo of Nathan Martin who caught this nine pound sheepshead fish, which many say looks like it has 'human teeth.' (Jennette's Pier/ courtesy of George Craig) Photo of Nathan Martin who caught this nine pound sheepshead fish, which many say looks like it has 'human teeth.' (Jennette's Pier/ courtesy of George Craig)
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TORONTO -

For most of us, the idea of a fish with human-like teeth feels like a science experiment gone wrong.

But photos of one has been making the rounds on social media, after a fishing pier company in North Carolina showed one angler’s recent haul.

“They're the fastest, trickiest biters. People talk all the time about how they can steal your bait really quickly,” Daryl Law, communications manager for the Jennette's Pier in Nag's Head, N.C., told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.

“I think it resonated with the masses around the world because it kind of looks like human teeth,” he laughed.

The “nice toothy” fish was reeled in by Nathan Martin, a regular fisher at the pier, last Tuesday.

Experienced anglers know the species as sheepshead fish, and they’re fairly common to the area. The name of the species takes its name from the fact that its mouth appears to look like a sheep’s mouth.

“These animals feed on things with hard shells, like barnacles and mussels and crabs. And they're found during the warmest months of the year,” Law said, adding that their nickname is “convict fish” because of their defined vertical black and white stripes.

Law said these fish are a delicious form of white meat, which can be quite tough to reel in.

The Facebook posts of the fish – which had the hashtag #bigteethbigtimes -- have garnered plenty of online reaction, including one person cheekily wondering if it’s difficult for the fish to brush its teeth with no hands.

While another person wrote, “[I] wonder if they have toothaches?” One user simply lamented: "that fish has better teeth than me.”

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