Sheepshead fish: some information about the fish with teeth that look like human teeth.

 

Sheepshead fish grind their food in their mouths.

Sheepshead fish, scientifically known as Archosargus probatocephalus, are a type of ray-finned fish found primarily in marine environments and along the eastern coasts of both North and South America. Their front teeth, which can eerily resemble human teeth, have earned them a reputation for this trait.

Sheepshead fish are not to be confused with another species of fish with a similar name that lives along the western coast of North America and is called the California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher). Both fish species have teeth, but they come from very distinct families and are not closely related to one another.

Can you describe the appearance of a sheepshead fish?

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the moniker "convict fish" was given to sheepshead fish because of the resemblance of their striped bodies to striped prison jumpsuits. Sheepshead fish have dark vertical stripes running down their light gray bodies (opens in a new tab). Additionally, the fish have pointed spines that run along the length of their backs. The average size of a sheepshead fish is between 43 and 45 centimeters, which is around 17 to 17.7 inches. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (link opens in a new tab), however, certain individuals can grow to be as long as 91 centimeters (or 36 inches) in length (IUCN).

What is the purpose of the teeth in sheepshead fish?

Sheepshead fish have teeth that are square-shaped and human-like as they mature so that they may consume prey with a tough shell. As juveniles, they destroy any animal with a soft body that they can locate, as well as a range of small animals with surfaces, such as crustaceans only a few millimeters in length, such as ostracods. According to the IUCN, once sheepshead fish reach a distance of approximately 5 centimeters (about 2 inches), they begin to consume hard-shelled invertebrates like mollusks and barnacles as their primary food source.

According to a previous story by Live Science, in 2021, a fisherman fishing at Jennette's Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina, reeled in a sheepshead fish with an impressive array of gnashers. Photos of the fish show that members of this species can develop front teeth that are large and pointed, similar to those of humans, as well as rows of short molars in the lower jaws of their mouths.

Acquaint yourself with the sheepshead fish.

Where may one catch a sheepshead fish?

According to the IUCN, sheepshead fish can be found in marine habitats and estuaries in the western Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia in eastern Canada, all the way down the United States and Central America's east coast and all the way south to southern Brazil.

The taxonomy of the sheepshead fish

Kingdom: Animalia
Chordata: the phylum.
Class: Teleostei
Order: Perciformes
The family name: is Sparidae.
The genus and species name for this animal: Archosargus probatocephalus
Source: ITIS

Sheepshead fish are often found in salt water or only mildly salted water, known as brackish water. However, during the winter, these fish will venture into freshwater habitats in search of warmer water around the points where rivers and springs drain into the ocean. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History (link opens in a new tab), sheepshead fish migrate out to sea to spawn during the latter part of winter and the first part of spring (FMNH). According to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama (opens in new tab), sheepshead fish can swim at depths of up to 49 feet (15 meters) below the surface of the water.

How is it that sheepshead fish reproduce?

For fish to reproduce, the female fish must first lay her eggs, which are then fertilized by a male fish using his sperm. According to the FMNH, scientists do not know very much about the spawning habits of sheepshead fish. Nonetheless, females can generate anywhere from 1,100 to 250,000 eggs throughout their lifetime. The eggs only take about 28 hours to hatch after fertilizing them. Sheepshead fish typically achieve maturity at two years old but have been known to live for at least 20 years.

Do sheepshead fish pose a threat to human health?

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), sheepshead fish are suitable for human food. They are caught both commercially and recreationally in the Gulf of Mexico and along the southeastern coast of the United States. Even with all of their teeth, sheepshead fish are normally not dangerous to people. However, it is still not a good idea to agitate them.

According to David Catania, the collections manager for ichthyology at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, "I would not hesitate to swim in waters inhabited by these fish," Snopes.com quotes Catania. "I would not hesitate to swim in waters inhabited by these fish."

Catania went on to say that unless people harass them, humans are not in danger from these animals. When sheepshead are handled after they have been caught, anglers risk being bitten or pricked by the strong dorsal fin spines that the fish have because sheepshead is sought after by anglers because they are edible.

Are sheepshead fish at risk of extinction?

There is no threat to the sheepshead fish population. The IUCN conducted its most recent evaluation of the species in 2011 and concluded that it should be placed in the conservation category known as "Least Concern." This category is reserved for species that are in very low danger of going extinct. The species is found across a large area, and, in many sections of its range, it has abundant populations that can maintain themselves.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) discovered that the number of fish caught annually in commercial and recreational catches had decreased before 2011. However, the organization attributed these declines to laws limiting and banning the use of certain nets harmful to fish. It said that it was not a sign that sheepshead fish populations were decreasing.

Additional means at one's disposal

Check out the website for the Encyclopedia of Life (link opens in a new tab) to see a map showing the locations where sheepshead fish live and a diagram illustrating how they interact with other species. Watch this little video uploaded to YouTube by the Collier Sea Grant organization to observe a sheepshead fish consuming clams (opens in a new tab). Check out the article "Atlantic Coast Fishes of North America" (which will open in a new tab) to learn more about the species of fish that may be found along the eastern coast of North America (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1999).

 

 

 

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/sheepshead-fish#section-why-do-sheepshead-fish-have-teeth

Image source :  https://pixabay.com/id/photos/penangkapan-ikan-laut-209112/

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