North Carolina Man Catches Fish With Human-Like Teeth

The 9 lb. catch was a sheepshead fish, a sea creature known for having several rows of molars, reeled in off of North Carolina's Jennette's Pier

Photo: George Craig

A North Carolina man was in awe after catching a fish with human-like teeth.

On Monday, Nathan Martin from South Mills went to Jennette's Pier, a popular fishing destination, hoping to catch a sheepshead fish. He managed to hook one and, after reeling it in, was shocked to see the fish seemingly grinning at him with a "mouth full of teeth."

Martin described the moment he caught the toothy fish, noting that he used sand fleas as bait. "It's a very good fight when you're fighting on the line, it's a really good catch, and it tastes very good," he told McClatchy News before adding that he plans to mount the sheepshead on his wall.

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The official Facebook for Jennette's Pier — North Carolina's longest public pier — shared photos of the angler after capturing the 9 lb. fish, captioning it #bigteethbigtimes.

George Craig

The photos later went viral, and many people commented under the post in disbelief after seeing photos of the creature.

One Facebook user wrote, "Is this where dentures come from? 😂" while another person said, "Those fish have the freakiest teeth."

One person also joked, "That fish has better teeth than me!"

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According to the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, sheepshead fish have "well-defined" and "prominent teeth with incisors, molars and rounded grinders that enable them to crush shellfish and sea urchins." They weigh between 5 and 15 lbs.

Sheepshead fish are also known for their five or six vertical dark bars on their sides and strong, sharp spines on their fins.