A terrifying-looking crab that appears to have a set of human teeth simply has "some kind of growths" in its mouth, according to the fisherman whose photo of the creature has gone viral.
Roman Fedortsov posted the picture on Instagram after landing the crustacean as by-catch in the Barents Sea off the coast of Russia
Crabs and other crustaceans do have teeth, but in their stomachs rather than their mouths.
"Crabs... All the same, there is something attractive and repulsive in them," Fedortsov wrote in his caption. "Mother Nature tried."
His Instagram post, which has around 10,500 likes, has horrified internet users.
"OMG ! Human teeth," one wrote.
"That's human teeth. Tell me I'm wrong," another posted
"Yes, this is an alien from the 'predator'," somebody else commented.
Fedortsov told Newsweek that his fishing crew had been aiming to catch cod when the crab was scooped up. He added that it does not actually have human teeth.
"These are not teeth. These are some kind of growths....just very similar, and we want to see it that way," Fedortsov said. "This is the usual body structure of these crabs. Just [to those] who [don't] know, it seems [to be] something unreal."
Fedortsov has been working on a fishing trawler off the Russian coast for nearly 20 years.
Trawler boats are fixed at the back with a huge net, which is pulled through the water. The nets are dragged along the bottom of the sea, or at a specified depth, catching any creatures in their path.
While fishermen may be aiming for a certain type of fish, this method inevitably captures other creatures that are lying in the nets' path. The nets often reach depths of 980 to 3,300 feet, meaning lesser observed deep-water creatures will sometimes be dragged to the surface.
It is not certain what caused the teeth-like growths on the crab, but this is not the first bizarre sea creature that Fedortsov has found in the trawler nets and photographed.
On July 18, he posted an image on Instagram that appears to show two slug-like creatures sitting in the palm of his hand. In a caption, Fedortsov explained that they were sea cucumbers, which live at a depth of about 1,771 feet below sea level.
Another photo, posted on May 31, showed a long fish with what appear to be its internal organs protruding from its mouth. His caption read: "I hope that you are not eating at this moment."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jpypmppdncKurc1mq56dpJ16tbHRq6CfoZWZeqq6056pp52kYrK5vMuaoKedlGJ%2BeH6Va21r