An Oklahoma boy’s catch of the day is what nightmares are made of.
In something that could rival 1978’s Piranha horror film, a young angler, Charlie Clinton, reeled in a fish with humanlike teeth while fishing in a local pond over the weekend.
The catch in question turned out to be a pacu, a close relative of the piranha, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The ODWC explained that the unsettling fish, which is not native to the area, has been “caught in a few fisheries in Oklahoma before,” but usually as the “result of individuals buying them as pets and releasing them when they outgrow their tank.”
Facebook users flocked to the comments section of the post to share their alarm and disbelief.
“That’s terrifying,” one Facebook user commented.
Another wrote: “Can honestly say I did not know fish could have teeth like that.”
One person referenced the hit show River Monsters, which features man-eating fish, writing: “Ummm I watched River Monsters…. I know what those fishes are capable of towards humans.”
Another user quipped: “Eat it ... before it eats you!’
Pacu are typically found throughout the Amazon and other parts of South America. They are in the same family (Serrasalmidae) as Piranhas, but the main difference between the species is in their teeth.
While pacu have square, straight teeth, piranhas have pointed, razor-sharp teeth, according to Science.
Though pacu can “reach sizes up to 3.5 feet and 88 pounds,” the ODWC said, they are “generally harmless to humans.”
On the flipside, piranhas can only grow up to 20 inches long — and pack a bite force of up to 30 times their body weight, the Daily Mail reported.
The ODWC is urging anyone who finds a pacu in local waterways to “remove them” and contact the proper local authorities in order to protect the ecosystem.
“They are an exotic, invasive species that can cause damage to our local ecosystems. Anglers who catch pacu in Oklahoma are asked to remove them from the water and contact their local game warden,” the agency wrote.
The ODWC added: “As for Charlie, we’re told you can find him back at the pond on the grind for his next great catch. We wish you luck and tight lines, Charlie!”
Anglers in other states across the US have come across pacu as well. Just earlier this year, a 15-year-old boy from Anderson, South Carolina, reeled in the species while fishing at Lake Hartwell State Park.