July 14, 2023 – In a surprising turn of events, a young boy from Oklahoma had quite the fishing experience when he caught a fish with teeth that eerily resembled those of a human.
Janna ‘Leach’ Clinton, the boy’s mother, expressed her astonishment at the unusual catch. She mentioned that the family was accustomed to catching bass or catfish in their neighborhood pond, but never anything quite like this. “Obviously being in a neighborhood pond, we’re used to just catching a few bass or catfish… I mean, nothing with human-like teeth,” she said, still in disbelief. Charlie, her son, was the only one fishing that day and he did an excellent job reeling in the fish, despite its feisty nature.
The family decided to share a photo of the bizarre fish on their neighborhood Facebook page. The local community, upon seeing the post and pictures, couldn’t help but express their astonishment. Comments ranged from “THOSE ARE HUMAN TEETH” to “What in the world!?! That’s creepy!”
Concerned citizens suggested that the family reach out to wildlife authorities. One resident commended the family for taking the matter seriously, stating, “That is most definitely not a catch and release! Thank you for taking it seriously.” Another individual advised, “You may need to report that to somebody in wildlife or something…”
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the family decided to release the fish back into the pond. Janna explained, “It’s a catch and release pond… so we unfortunately did release it back because we didn’t know any better at the time. We made a mistake there.”
Further investigation revealed that the fish caught by Charlie was a pacu, a relative of the piranha. Unlike its carnivorous cousins, the pacu is mostly a vegetarian with square teeth and a slight overbite, rather than razor-sharp teeth and an underbite.
The wildlife officials are still puzzled as to how the pacu ended up in a suburban pond north of Oklahoma City. Their theory suggests that it was once a pet that outgrew its tank and was subsequently released into the wild.
In a tweet addressing the previous owner, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) expressed their disappointment, stating, “Dear whoever released an entire Pacu (a South American fish closely related to Piranha) into a NEIGHBORHOOD pond; how dare you.”
The mystery of the pacu in the pond remains unsolved, but this unexpected catch has certainly stirred up excitement and intrigue among the local community.
