# Dopers help ID this fish that has human like teeth (with video) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216 "2006-07-19T19:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/1 "2006-07-19T19:27:40Z")
Is it really a Pacu? I couldn’t find any Pacu pics online with that big hump seen in the video. [Texas Man Catches Fish With Human-Like Teeth](http://www.local6.com/news/9542967/detail.html) > [@](#): > > A fish caught in Lubbock, Texas, with teeth that look like they belong to a human has baffled wildlife officials in the area, according to a report. Fisherman Scott Curry reeled in the 20-pound fish on Buffalo Springs Lake and immediately noticed the catch had human-like teeth. A game warden photographed the fish and is attempting to identify it. General Manager of Buffalo Springs Lake Greg Thornton told KLBK13-TV in Texas that he has never seen anything like the fish in the 36 years he has lived near the lake. A search for what the fish may be suggested that it may be a pacu, which is found in South America. Curry said he believes he saw another similar fish while on the lake. A Texas television station reported that lake officials will give $100 to anyone catching a similar fish ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/2 "2006-07-19T19:48:07Z")
Sure looks like a [Pacu](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.junglephotos.com/amazon/amanimals/amfishes/pacuteeth.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.junglephotos.com/amazon/amanimals/amfishes/pacu.shtml&h=600&w=400&sz=45&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=igeUz2XWiQbxGM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpacu%2Bteeth%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D). Used to see a couple of big ones where I bough feeder fish for my Oscars. Right size, color, plate-like body. Someone just released a pet into a lake… always a bad move anyway you look at it. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/3 "2006-07-19T19:50:30Z")
Oops… [here’s](http://www.junglephotos.com/amazon/amanimals/amfishes/pacuteeth.jpg) the right link. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/4 "2006-07-19T20:01:43Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Oops… [here’s](http://www.junglephotos.com/amazon/amanimals/amfishes/pacuteeth.jpg) the right link. That’d be nice if you meant it. (404 error) ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/5 "2006-07-19T20:09:41Z")
That’s funky. It’s like Aardman Productions branched out into biogenetics. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/6 "2006-07-19T20:19:05Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > That’d be nice if you meant it. > > (404 error) [Actually his first link has the correct pics.](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.junglephotos.com/amazon/amanimals/amfishes/pacuteeth.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.junglephotos.com/amazon/amanimals/amfishes/pacu.shtml&h=600&w=400&sz=45&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=igeUz2XWiQbxGM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpacu%2Bteeth%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/7 "2006-07-19T20:22:59Z")
Yes, click on the picture at the top of my first link. I’m not sure why it works and the other doesn’t since the urls appear identical ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/8 "2006-07-20T01:18:25Z")
I thought this was going to be about one of those high-quality pictures from the Weekly World News, the funniest periodical available anywhere. 😃 (That is one yucky-looking fish. Of course, they’re all yucky-looking.) ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/9 "2006-07-20T01:56:27Z")
_queasy_ That is one freaky fish. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/10 "2006-07-20T06:19:51Z")
Yup. That looks like a Pacu to me. I like those fish. They’re really cool when they’re full grown (can get to be about 2 feet). ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/11 "2006-07-20T13:10:22Z")
Not at all on topic, other than dealing with fish in unexpected places. As I was walking from the train to work this a.m. in downtown Chicago, crossing the river on the Madison St bridge, I noticed something on the walkway. I assumed it was a dead pigeon, but when I looked, it was a dead fish, maybe 1’ long. Not sure of the species. Silver, rather large scales. Didn’t examine it too closely! That was a first in 20+ years of commuting. Not sure if a boater on the river lobbed it up there - think it was too large for a seagull to have caried and dropped. What an exciting life the commuter leads! ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-id-this-fish-that-has-human-like-teeth-with-video/365216/12 "2006-07-20T13:41:18Z")
Since that fish has been identified, I present the [Sheepshead](http://paleo.cc/paluxy/tooth3.jpg), a salt water species that can be caught in Texas as well as a lot of coastal areas. That’s a pic of it’s teeth, not the best pic. Here are [a few](http://www.oysterbaytackle.com/gallery05/sheepshead_teeth.jpg) [more](http://www.fishcall.com/sheepshead2.jpg).