Fishermen were left reeling when they caught this bizarre mutant-looking black fish with a frightening face, big sharp teeth and the body of an eel
It was caught in the Kama River in central Russia's Udmurt Republic by fishermen using earth worms.
There is still confusion over what the creature is, with the fishermen themselves saying it's a mutated freshwater fish while others claim it's a piranha.
The creature, which held up against the fisherman's arm looks to be at least two feet long, completely stumped its hunters when they pulled it out of the water.
They believed that it may be a mutated version of a Chinese sleeper (Perccottus glenii) - also known as the Amur sleeper - which is a freshwater fish native to the Amur River basin in eastern Asia.
It was caught in the Kama River in central Russia's Udmurt Republic by fishermen using earth worms
According to local reports, locals kept the species as domestic animals when they were first introduced to Russia back in the 1940s.
Several owners were said to have released them into rivers and local sewage systems when they got too big for their water tanks.
According to experts quoted in local media, Chinese sleepers have managed to survive and steadily grow in numbers by reproducing in Russia's many water reservoirs.
However, several people disagreed with the fishermen online and said that the weird animal was either some kind of a piranha or perhaps a mutated European eel (Anguilla anguilla).
It was not revealed what later became of the strange creature.
There is still confusion over what the creature is, with the fishermen themselves saying it's a mutated freshwater fish while others claim it's a piranha
When in doubt, don't eat!