‘Demon fish’ found dead in Florida ignites social media: Is it too ugly to be real?
A dead fish found in Florida is at the center of a strange debate on social media, with some insisting it’s of supernatural origin.
It began Nov. 10 when a series of photos appeared on the Florida Photography Facebook page, showing a bizarre creature with hollow eyes, leathery black skin and lips pulled back to reveal rows of nail-like teeth.
Tammy Jenkins of Kissimmee, Florida, reports she took the photos while kayaking along the Ocklawaha River in Putnam County, east of Gainesville.
She first wondered if it was real. Then she saw the flies.
“It got my attention because it was ugly as dirt and looked like it came straight from hell,” she told McClatchy News. “At first glance I thought it was a joke toy until I smelled it.”
The smell, she says, was like something that came out of the wrong end of Satan.
“I decided to share (the photos) on Facebook to get others’ input. I take thousands of photos when we go out but I hardly ever share them,” she said.
Two thousands reactions and comments later, it’s clear Jenkins’ photos touched something primal in viewers.
Some commenters have insisted the creature is a misplaced Halloween decoration of some kind. Others are convinced it’s totally real, and likened it to a “demon fish,” the “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and an “Aquatic Chupacabra.”
“Anything with that much teeth I don’t think I’d classify as a fish,” Bragg Wong Saladin posted on Facebook.
“That’s what touches your foot when (you’re) in dark water,” Susie Leclair wrote.
“WTH is this fish with teeth like a vampire?” Jennifer Matthews said.
“Looks like the ... monster from the horror movie ‘The Thing’,” Sharon M. Kirby posted.
Jenkins has enjoyed the social media reaction, and says the consensus among commenters is that it’s either a bowfin (also known as mudfish) or a snakehead. However, a few have joked it’s a “mutated piranha” ... or a mysterious invasive fish not yet known to state biologists.
“I always thought it was a gator gar but now I’m not so sure,” Jenkins said.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 9:42 AM with the headline "‘Demon fish’ found dead in Florida ignites social media: Is it too ugly to be real?."