A vicious looking fish native to warmer waters in the Mississippi River Valley and Gulf of Mexico has been inexplicably found in a park in Pennsylvania.
The fish — which was dead — was identified as an alligator gar and photos shared by the Radnor Township Police showed the name fits: It had a long mouth full of spiked teeth.
It was found by “township resident” in the pond at Fenimore Woods Park, about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Radnor police said in the Facebook post.
“According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the fish could not sustain in such cold water,” the police wrote on Facebook. “The rare find was turned over to them for preservation and educational purposes.”
Police dubbed it a “rare discovery,” while commenters on the Facebook post saw it as just plain “crazy.”
Wildlife officials suspect the fish was freed by someone keeping it as a pet.
Alligator gar are not a threat to humans, but “can be huge” at 10 feet in length and 300 pounds, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife.
The species is typically found in the Mississippi River Valley into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.
“Most people remember their first encounter with an alligator gar. In the world of fishes, their appearance is striking,” Texas Parks & Wildlife says in a report on the species.
“They look like something that should be swimming around with dinosaurs, not bass and crappie,” the department says.
The Yucatan TimesNewsroom
