An 11-year-old boy was left shocked after he reeled in an exotic fish sporting a set of full, human-looking teeth.
Charlie Clinton was fishing at his local pond near his home in Oklahoma when he managed to land the unusual-looking fish.
The creature, which has a row of human-like teeth, is a Pacu - an invasive species of South American fish that is related to the Piranha.
Advert
Charlie’s mom Janna was sitting on her back porch while her son was fishing and all of a sudden she heard him calling out for her.
Speaking to NPR, Janna said: "He was screaming, 'Oh my God, mom! Oh my God!'
"I thought he was just being dramatic, to be honest.”
But upon closer inspection, she spotted the fish’s teeth and was almost as freaked out as her son.
Advert
"Obviously being in a neighborhood pond, we're used to just catching a few bass or catfish," she said. "I mean, nothing with human-like teeth."
Charlie told his mom that the fish ‘put up a heck of a fight’, adding that he ‘was the only one down there fishing and he did a great job’ of reeling it in.
As you can probably guess, the Pacu isn’t usually found in Oklahoma - and officials from The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) have said the animal is most likely a pet that has been dumped.
Advert
ODWC also warned that dumping pet fish into waterways can have a damaging effect on the local ecosystem.
In a post on social media, they wrote: “Dear, whoever released an entire Pacu (a South American fish closely related to Piranha) into a NEIGHBORHOOD pond; how dare you.
“Your fish was caught by Charlie Clinton. He is 11. DO NOT RELEASE YOUR PETS. THEY ARE AN EXOTIC, INVASIVE SPECIES THAT CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO OUR LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS.
Advert
“These fish are generally harmless to humans, but the practice of dumping unwanted pets in waterways is so harmful to native wildlife. Don’t be that pet owner. Don’t let it loose.”
After catching the fish and posing for some snaps, Charlie put the Pacu back into the water unaware that it shouldn't have been in the pond in the first place.
Janna were later informed that it was a Pacu and was warned it shouldn't have been placed back in the pond.
"It's a catch and release pond," she said, "so we unfortunately did release it back because we didn't know any better at the time."
Claire Reid