A PECULIAR creature with ‘rodent-like teeth’ has washed up on a North Devon beach.
Delphine Sutherland found the dead fish while walking at Woolacombe and posted a photo of it on Facebook to try to find out what it was.
Ilfracombe Aquarium director Lawrence Raybone said it looked like a trigger fish, typically found around the coasts of Spain and France.
He said: “It’s more commonly found by sea anglers during the summer months while this shoaling animal is heading north on its migration route.
“It has a powerful set of jaws with rodent-like teeth which it uses to great effect breaking the shells of crab and urchins.”
The trigger fish owes its name to its long frontal spine to the dorsal fin locking in an upright position a bit like the safety-catch of a trigger.
This mechanism is used to wedge itself into rock crevices for safety and to express aggression or interest in a mate.
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