Oklahoma Boy Catches Frightening Fish Species Related to the Piranha in Neighborhood Pond

For one Oklahoma boy, reeling in his latest catch came with a toothy surprise.

Charlie Clinton, 11, caught more than he bargained for while fishing in a neighborhood pond — a fish with teeth resembling human molars.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) shared a photo of the fish — and its giant chompers — in a Twitter thread addressed to whoever dumped the creature, which is not native to the United States, in the small body of water.

"Dear whoever released an entire Pacu (a South American fish closely related to Piranha) into a NEIGHBORHOOD pond, how dare you," the department wrote.

Alongside a photo of the young angler grinning and holding his catch, the ODWC continued, "DO NOT RELEASE YOUR PETS. THEY ARE AN EXOTIC, INVASIVE SPECIES THAT CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO OUR LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS."

"These fish are generally harmless to humans, but the practice of dumping unwanted pets in waterways is so harmful to native wildlife," the department added. "Don't be that pet owner. Don't let it loose."

In a retweet of the ODWC's thread, the Global Center for Species Survival shared more information about the harm pacu fish can do to environments they are not native to.

"These fish don't belong in U.S. waters," the GCSS wrote, noting that they can "get much bigger" than their famous relatives, piranhas.

"Getting big (up to 3ft in length) is part of why these fish are sometimes released into non-native waters," the center said. "Irresponsible pet owners release pacus with little regard for the harm these fish can cause in places they were never meant to live."

The omnivorous fish, which can grow to weigh up to 44 pounds, is most well-known for its false reputation for chomping on testicles, per National Geographic. The real threat pacus pose is not to human genitals, however, but rather to entire ecosystems.

"Pacus can't survive cold water," the GCSS continued. "But they can establish populations outside their native range in warmer climates where they may out-compete native species for food and other resources. Plus, they can introduce diseases and parasites."

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After ensuring that they conveyed the severity of the situation in their thread, the ODWC looked on the bright side by responding to some humorous replies.

A self-proclaimed "outdoors enthusiast" named Marc joked, "That’s the fullest set of teeth in the entire state," to which the ODWC replied, "I literally have two extra wisdom teeth Marc so chill."

Another user wrote, "Maybe they were starting an underwater dental clinic?” which received the reply: "Starting a clinic for yourself as the primary customer feels like a bad business model."

Other Twitter users expressed outrage and confusion at the fish and its mouth full of teeth.

"WHY DOES IT HAVE HUMAN TEETH," one Twitter user wrote, to which the ODWC replied, "IDK WE DIDN'T MAKE THEM."

Another user begged the department not to show the "person teeth fish" sans trigger warning, to which it said, "If I have to open our dms first thing in the morning and see this so do you."