Some call it a sheepshead fish while others know it as a convict fish; science tells us it is technically called Archosargus probatocephalus. The sheepshead fish is a gray fish with a deeply shaped body that can grow up to 35 inches in length. Distinguished by the dark bars on the side of the body, the sheepshead fish also has sharp spines up its dorsal fin. What are most striking to anglers who catch the sheepshead fish are the teeth.
The sheepshead fish’s teeth look like human teeth in every way except for the fact that there is usually more than one row of them. Imagine catching a fish that smiles at you! Found by fishermen on the Atlantic shore from Nova Scotia to Brazil, the sheepshead fish is actually rare to catch.
The sheepshead fish are usually found near reefs, bridges, jetties and rocks where they can hide and where they can find their preferred food. An expert at stealing the bait right off a hook, fishermen know that to catch a sheepshead they need a small hook. Typical bait includes hermit crabs and fiddler crabs. Though they are difficult to clean, sheepshead fish are delicious. Maybe it’s their diet?
Why does this fish have human teeth?
The main diet of the sheepshead fish includes oysters, shrimp, barnacles, mussels, clams, crabs and other crustaceans, which makes their short, stubby teeth necessary. By using their human-like teeth to crush the shells of their prey, the sheepshead fish can feast all it wants on hard-shelled creatures.
Sheepshead fish first get their teeth when they are less than one quarter of an inch long. After they are about one half inch long, they have their full set of teeth including molars. It is thought that the sheepshead fish has its name because the teeth resemble those of sheep even more than those of humans, but no one knows for sure.
What other fish have strange teeth?
Though the sheepshead fish’s teeth are startling and cartoon-like at first glance, they actually make a lot of sense for their diet. Other fish have also adapted their teeth to the prey they catch such as:
Atlantic Wolffish – These fish have a comical over-bite that helps them eat sea urchins, crabs and other crustaceans.
Queensland Grouper – Huge, Australian fish with huge mouths and tiny teeth in several rows, they prey on other fish and even sharks.
Dragonfish – A deep-sea dweller, the dragonfish has long fangs and a snake-like body but they only get to be six inches long. Tiny fish, big teeth!
Hatchetfish – Also from the depths of the sea, the hatchfish has a scary appearance thanks to having to adapt to the water pressure. They have scary faces and no teeth, which aren’t needed so far down where the only food is microscopic.
Pacu – Originally from the Amazon, the Pacu has been recently found in a lake in New Jersey, which is alarming to conservationists. The Pacu also has thick, stubby teeth like the sheepshead fish and uses them to crush the shells of its prey.
Next time you’re fishing, if you catch a fish with human teeth who smiles at you, just smile along with it and share a selfie!
