Nag’s Head is an idyllic beach town in North Carolina. It is known for towering dunes, beautiful local flora, and a quiet sandy coastline. Yet when Nathan Martin went fishing there last week, he was met by a truly horrifying-looking creature: a fish with human-like teeth!
A photo of said beast was shared on Facebook by a fishing company called Jennette’s Pier, and the terrifying image has since gone viral. The fish has been identified as a sheepshead, so named because of its sheep-like mouth. The breed has several rows of molars for crushing prey, such as clams, crabs, mussels, sea urchins, and other hard-bodied sea creatures. It is most commonly found in North and South America and usually grows 10-20 inches long.
Fisherman, Nathan, was extremely pleased with the rare catch:
“It’s a very good fight when you’re fighting on the line, it’s a really good catch, and it tastes very good.”
Nathan made a good pitch, but something tells me the sheepshead will not become a Friday night staple alongside a handful of fries.
Not such a cute smile
A few years ago, sharks with human teeth became a meme. The photoshopped images of these fearsome predators with big toothy grins brought great delight to the internet. There is just something joyful about them. See for yourself…
The sheepshead fish has not enjoyed such a positive response. Twitter users described it as ‘the stuff of nightmares’ and lamented the likelihood of never sleeping again. One, who was particularly disturbed by the story, concluded: ‘THIS IS THE WORST PLANET. I HATE IT HERE.’
And the commentary does not stop there! This famous fish is causing division among reactors with some believing it resembles Tom Cruise and others seeing similarities with the donkey from Shrek. It is quite surprising that both comparisons have some accuracy.
While we are on the fishing line…
Despite the bad press that fishermen get for being boring, they have been making some exciting headlines this year. In February one discovered a rare orange pearl worth £250,000, then in May, another captured the terrifying moment he was chased by an alligator. While the world is in some disagreement over the sheepshead, there is one thing we can all agree on: the fishing world is a crazy place.
