A fisherman's unusual catch has been dubbed a 'real-life sea monster' by social media users after photos showed the beastly fish's huge, gaping mouth and razor-sharp teeth.
Fisherman Nate Iszac, 39, caught the bizarre fish in Alaskan waters earlier this month, posing for photos with it and later sharing them on Facebook.
The shocking snaps show how the incredible creature has a gigantic jaw, with close-ups also revealing sharp teeth hiding inside.
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Another reveals the full length of the fish's body, which appears to be around half the length of Nate's.
Iszac, from Oregon in the US, poses in several images with the fish, angling its open mouth towards his face.
He said: "When we saw it there was a nervous excitement in the air.
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"I have seen them before and know they can bite very hard so we were cautious."
After being found on 9 March in the Bering Sea off Akutan Island, Alaska, the animal has been identified as a wolf eel.
But many social media users were convinced that the 'evil looking' catch was something more other-worldly, saying it was 'so scary' and 'so crazy looking'.
One commented: "Glad it didn't bite you - the choppers on that thing, it looks vicious."
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Another person said: "OMG - nightmares for the rest of my life."
A third added: "That's a real-life sea monster," while a fourth joked: "One kiss and you're his."
Iszac confirmed he always puts his creatures from the deep back into the water, and that the wolf eel swam away unharmed.
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Recently, another fisherman was left equally baffled by his catch, having reeled in a baby shark with a strange 'human face'.
Abdullah Nuren caught the baby shark on a fishing trip in Rote Ndao in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, on Sunday 21 February.
It was actually one of three unborn sharks Nuren found in the stomach of a shark he had caught in his trawler net.
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The other two pups looked the same as their mother, while the third, well, you can see for yourself.
Nuren, 48, said: "I initially found a mother shark caught in the trawler net.
"The next day I split the belly of the mother shark and found three pups in the stomach.
"Two were like the mother and this one that looked like it had a human face."
He subsequently took the shark back to his family and it has become the talk of the neighbourhood.
However, despite receiving offers, Nuren has no plans to sell it, continuing: "My home has been crowded with people who want to see the shark.
"Many people want to buy it, but I will preserve it instead. I think it will bring me good luck."
Featured Image Credit: Jam Press