On a Saturday in July, Janna Clinton sat on her back porch and observed her 11-year-old son casting a line in the pond behind their house in Oklahoma.
Mom jumped out of her chair when Charlie started yelling for her, and she hurried over to her son, who was frightened by the creature hanging from the end of his fishing line.
Bass and catfish love to hang out in the neighborhood pond owned by the Clintons. But over the weekend of July 14, Charlie came across a strange species and asked his mother, Janna, for assistance.
Oh my God, Mom! he exclaimed. Oh my God! The mother exclaimed. “I honestly thought he was just being dramatic. “.
Looking closer, she noticed the catch had teeth that resembled those of a human.
I mean, nothing with human-like teeth,” she said, adding that the fish fought hard. “Obviously, we’re used to catching a few bass or catfish in a nearby pond. Charlie said that the battle was fierce. There was only him fishing, and he did a fantastic job. “.
Residents who saw the post and photos of the bizarre fish commented: “THOSE ARE HUMAN TEETH,” one user noted, and “What in the world!?!?” That’s strange!”.
Some people recommended that the family interact with wildlife. Thank you for taking it seriously, one user says, adding, “That is not a catch-and-release situation! You might want to report that to someone in wildlife or something.”.
The family released the fish back into the pond before approaching wildlife to discuss their day’s unusual catch. It’s a catch-and-release pond, and we returned it because, at the time, we had no better knowledge, according to Janna.
There was an error on our part.
“.
The family found out that Charlie had caught a pacu, a South American cousin of the piranha. In contrast to its omnivorous relatives, which have razor-sharp teeth and an underbite, the pacu has square teeth and a slight overbite.
Wildlife officials think it was a pet that outgrew its tank and was released into the wild, though it is unknown how it ended up in the pond in a suburb north of Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) tweeted, “Dear, whoever released an entire Pacu (a South American fish closely related to Piranha) into a NEIGHBORHOOD pond; how dare you. “.
Dear, whoever released an entire Pacu (a South American fish closely related to Piranha) into a NEIGHBORHOOD pond;
— Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (@OKWildlifeDept) July 18, 2023
how dare you. pic.twitter.com/WwQqJ9REAz
Many people were shocked by the Tweet’s razor-sharp fangs, which sparked discussion in the online community.
One confused user questioned, “WHY DOES IT HAVE HUMAN TEETH?”.
ODWC replied, “IDK WE DIDN’T MAKE THEM,” and then immediately followed up with, “Charlie Clinton caught your fish. ” He is 11. PLEASE AVOID LETTING YOUR PETS OUT. THEY ARE AN EXOTIC, INVASIVE SPECIES WHOSE IMPACT COULD BE DANGEROUS TO OUR LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS. This could result in a terrible situation that is extremely dangerous for the environment.
It wasn’t the first time a pacu had been found in Oklahoma. Less than two hours from the Clintons, in July 2018, Kennedy Smith, age 11, snatched a pacu from Marina Cove at ft. Cobb Lake.
Pacu have previously been discovered in a few Oklahoma fisheries, according to a Facebook post from the Oklahoma Game Wardens at the time. “The non-native pacu was most likely introduced into Oklahoma waters by people who bought them as pets and then released them after they outgrew the tank in which they were raised. Pacu weighs 88 pounds and can grow as tall as 3 15 feet. “.
These strange fish have the terrifying nickname “the ball cutters,” despite the fact that they are typically safe for humans. “.
In 2011, skinny-dipping Swedes were warned after a pacu was spotted in the Oresund Sound.
Fishermen’s testicles were bit off, Henrik Carl, a fish expert, added, and as a result, they died.
“There have been incidents in other countries, such as Papua New Guinea, where some men had their testicles bit off.
Because their testicles fit comfortably in their mouths and they are hungry, Carl explained, “they bite.”. He continued, “It typically preys on nuts, fruit, and small fish, but human testicles are just a natural target. “.
Charlie has been pursuing the pacu at the pond in the interim with the intention of baiting it once more.
Janna said of her son, who fishes from early in the morning until late at night in the hopes of catching a prized catch, “He did stay at the ponds pretty late that night trying to catch it again.”. “We’ll have it mounted for him if he manages to catch it again. He deserves it, and it’s a great prize. I also promised to make the fish smile so you could see its teeth. “.
Even though the pacu is a terrifying fish, we feel sorry for the animal because it was taken from its natural habitat and then released into a new one when its owner was unable to care for it. The most significant risk that this behavior poses to the environment is one of many reasons why it is dangerous.
