Fishing is supposed to be a relaxing hobby, but one unlucky angler recently learned that Northern Pike do not respect the rules of catch-and-release etiquette. While trying to weigh a freshly caught pike, the fish decided it wasn’t going down without a fight, thrashing violently and snapping its jaws directly onto the angler’s hand. If a quick bite wasn’t enough of a parting gift, the pike managed to leave behind a literal souvenir: one of its razor-sharp teeth snapped off and lodged deep into the angler’s hand. The stubborn, hitchhiking tooth refused to budge, forcing a trip to the doctor where medical professionals had to minorly operate to extract the freshwater predator’s razor blade from the flesh.
Getting bit by a pike is essentially like jamming your hand into a floating paper shredder. These absolute monsters of the shallows pack anywhere between 300 to 700 needle-like teeth in their mouths, according to wildlife guides at A-Z Animals. Even worse for anyone on the receiving end of a bite, a pike’s teeth are angled backward toward its throat, meaning once something goes in, it is physically designed not to slide back out—as this angler’s x-rays painfully proved. To keep their hunting efficient, pike also boast a continuous “conveyor belt” tooth-replacement system where new blades constantly grow in to replace broken ones, as noted by the Wisconsin DNR.
The takeaway here? Next time you are weighing a pike, keep your fingers far away from the business end, or you might just end up with an unexpected doctor appointment of your own.
Montana's outdoor week, in your inbox at 7am Friday.