ickplantApr 17, 2025

Pacu fish have teeth that look exactly like people’s. They evolved to chew nuts that fell into the water

https://lemmy.world/post/28353804

Pacu fish have teeth that look exactly like people’s. They evolved to chew nuts that fell into the water - Lemmy.World

[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/98df64bb-e14d-4ad3-b28a-39116fd88877.jpeg]

Show threadFenderStratocasterApr 17, 2025
Is this an example of convergent evolution?
Show threadlarsApr 18, 2025

Hey it is! Kinda. I Think.

But why are human teeth shaped like this in the front? Not so much for nuts, right?

Show threadπ•Šπ•žπ•’π•”π•œπ•–π•ž π•Žπ•šπ•₯π•₯π•’π••π•šπ•”Apr 18, 2025
I thought the same thing so I looked into it! The pacu fish’s front teeth aren’t flat like ours. They’re more like our molars, which serve the same purpose of being used for crushing
Pacu Fish: The Piranha Cousin With Human-like Teeth

In 2023, 11-year-old Charlie Clinton from Oklahoma made headlines by catching a pacu - a South American fish known for its human-like teeth - in a pond behind his house, far from its native Amazon habitat.

HowStuffWorks
Show threadByteJunk

That article you linked literally starts with

We apologize in advance for the nightmarish qualities inherent to the pacu fish

No. Nope. No way. Uh uh. I’m not scrolling down. NEVER. You hear me? I have enough nightmares as it is…

Apr 18, 2025 at 12:19pmWeb
Show threadπ•Šπ•žπ•’π•”π•œπ•–π•ž π•Žπ•šπ•₯π•₯π•’π••π•šπ•”Apr 18, 2025
Honestly I don’t blame you given the pictures of them with their teeth out