Janna Clinton was having a relaxing July weekend on her back porch, keeping an eye on her 11-year-old son, Charlie, as he fished in the pond behind their Oklahoma home.
Suddenly, Charlie began to scream for her. Janna jumped up and ran to see what was causing the commotion. To her surprise, Charlie had pulled up an unusual creature on his fishing line.
The pond behind the Clinton’s home is a popular spot for catch-and-release fishing, typically for bass and catfish. But on this July 14th weekend, using just a piece of bread as bait, Charlie landed an odd-looking fish and called for his mom’s assistance.
“He was screaming, ‘Oh my God, mom! Oh my God!’” Janna recounted. “I initially thought he was just being dramatic.”
Upon closer inspection, Janna found that the fish had human-like teeth.
“Usually in our neighborhood pond, we catch bass or catfish—nothing with human-like teeth,” Janna added, noting that the fish was surprisingly strong. “Charlie said it put up quite a fight. He was the only one fishing, and he did a great job.”
The Clintons posted a photo of the peculiar fish on their neighborhood Facebook page, prompting reactions like, “THOSE ARE HUMAN TEETH,” and “What in the world! That’s creepy!”
Some neighbors suggested contacting wildlife officials. “That is definitely not a catch and release! Thanks for taking it seriously,” one resident commented, while another recommended notifying wildlife authorities.
Before consulting wildlife experts, the family returned the fish to the pond. “It’s a catch and release pond, so we released it, not knowing better at the time,” Janna admitted. “We made a mistake there.”
The family later learned the fish was a pacu, a relative of the piranha native to South America. Unlike its meat-eating cousins with sharp teeth, the pacu is mostly vegetarian and has square teeth with a slight overbite.
Wildlife officials suspect the pacu ended up in the pond because a pet owner released it after it outgrew its tank.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) took to Twitter to address the situation: “Dear, whoever released an entire Pacu (a South American fish closely related to Piranha) into a NEIGHBORHOOD pond; how dare you.”
The Tweet sparked online discussions, with many surprised by the pacu’s teeth.
“WHY DOES IT HAVE HUMAN TEETH?” one user asked.
“IDK WE DIDN’T MAKE THEM,” replied the ODWC. They also added, “Your fish was caught by Charlie Clinton. He is 11. DO NOT RELEASE YOUR PETS. THEY ARE AN EXOTIC, INVASIVE SPECIES THAT CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO OUR LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS.”
Previous cases of pacu sightings in Oklahoma were noted. In July 2018, another 11-year-old named Kennedy Smith caught a pacu from Marina Cove at Ft. Cobb Lake. Oklahoma Game Wardens had warned on Facebook: “…Pacu have been caught in several Oklahoma fisheries before. Typically, they are bought as pets and released when they outgrow their tanks. Pacu can grow up to 3.5 feet and 88 pounds.”
Though generally harmless, pacus have earned the nickname “the ball cutters.”
In 2011, a warning was issued when a pacu turned up in Sweden’s Oresund Sound. Fish expert Henrik Carl mentioned incidents in Papua New Guinea where men had their testicles bitten off, some even bleeding to death.
Back in Oklahoma, Charlie has continued to fish at the pond, hoping to catch the pacu again.
“He stayed at the pond late that night trying to catch it again,” Janna said. “If he catches it, we’ll get it mounted for him. I think that’s a prize, and he deserves it. I told him we’d make it look like the fish was smiling so you could see its teeth.”
The pacu may look creepy, but it’s also unfortunate for the fish, which was uprooted from its natural habitat and released into a new one. This practice is dangerous as it can harm the ecosystem.
What are your thoughts on the “ball cutter?”
