![]() If you enjoyed this story, you might also like reading about a teen who slammed his sister over a “cruel” prank. In The Know is now available on Apple News - follow us here! The maximum lifespan estimated is 20 years. Sheepshead fish measures 91 cm long and 9.6 kg (21.2 pounds) and recorded largest sheepshead weigh 66 kg (145.5 pounds). It lack tooth patches on roof of the mouth. Full-grown sheepshead fish can become up to three feet long, so this one was actually relatively small. Heavy and strong teeth are required for crushing and grinding the shelled animals which are prey. They typically develop three rows of teeth on their upper jaw and two rows in their lower jaw. Sheepshead fish developed their enamel-coated teeth for similar reasons to humans - to be able to crush food, like shellfish, mollusks and crustaceans. “It’s a very good fight when you’re fighting on the line, it’s a really good catch, and it tastes very good,” Martin said according to BBC. While sheepshead fish are often hunted for sport, they are actually edible fish. “What a human face,” one person commented. Martin held the sheepshead fish with its mouth open to reveal rows of teeth that looked too much like human molars and incisors for comfort. Jennette’s Pier, where the fish was captured, posted a photo of the bizarre creature on Facebook. It’s also sometimes called a “convict fish” due to its black and white stripes. On August 3, fisherman Nathan Martin caught the nine-pounder known as a sheepshead fish for its resemblance to a sheep’s muzzle. This isn’t the same breed of triggerfish with toothy, Bratz doll lips that made the rounds on the internet months ago. man caught a fish with rows of human-like teeth. In the meantime, don’t worry if you encounter one. Sheepshead fish don’t bite (unless you’re a clam or an oyster), but they do have a smile that would melt the heart of even the most indifferent orthodontist.Mother Nature really got weird when she concocted this bizarre underwater creature. Although the sheepshead fish is relatively plentiful now, as stocks of red drum and other local fish decline, there are concerns that the toothy icon could be next. Although the meat is sweet, with a flaky, tender texture, commercial fisheries have historically focussed on other, more economically viable species, such as the red drum. This is part of the reason why it has been so successful.Īnother reason is that it has relatively little meat on its body and sharp dorsal spines, which make it difficult to fillet. The sheepshead fish is known to eat more than a hundred different species. Evolution has selected for this arrangement because it enables the fish to bite, crush and grind, and exploit a rich variety of food sources. This seemingly motley collection of gnashers, which is not so different to our own, is an adaptation to the fish’s omnivorous diet. All of which are coated in a hard, enamel-like substance, laid on top of a calcified dentin interior. These include chisel-shaped incisor-like teeth at the front, and flatter molars and rounded grinders towards the back. Their teeth start to come through as they approach 5cm (2in) in length, and from then on, the fish start to tackle more robust, shelled prey, such as barnacles, clams, crabs and oysters.Īdult sheepshead fish, which grow up to 75cm (30in) long, have three rows of teeth in their upper jaw, and two rows lining their bottom jaw. They dine on soft foods, such as marine worms and plant matter. Put one in jail next to a prisoner in a striped uniform and it shouldn’t look like a fish out of water.įreshly hatched sheepshead fish are tiny and toothless. Its grey and black stripes do, however, lend themselves to its alternative moniker of the convict fish. No one knows exactly why it’s called the ‘sheepshead’ fish, when its teeth are clearly the main event, but some say that its blunt snout and almost horizontal mouth are indeed sheep-like. Sheepshead eats a variety of foods, including shelled animals. In days gone by, the fish could be spotted in Brooklyn’s Sheepshead Bay, which was named after it, but then the Bay became polluted and the fish disappeared. Scientists believe that the sheepshead teeth evolved as an adaptation to their omnivorous diet. While the fish usually lives in coastal waters and estuaries, they sometimes head to freshwater to find warmth in winter. It’s a euryhaline species, which means it can tolerate a wide range of salinity. The sheepshead fish, aka the lovechild of Billy Bass and my granny’s dentures, is a scaly, sparkly swimmer that can be found in the shallow waters of the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to Brazil. ![]() Jeff Mucksavage with a big drum last fall at Montrose Harbor. ![]() By natural selection? What was it thinking! The Illinois record was upgraded on when Johnathan Inman caught one of 38 pounds, 4 ounces from Clinton Lake. Someone slap a lawsuit on the dentist who fitted this fish with the freakishly human teeth… What’s that you say? Evolution did this. ![]()
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