It looks like a piranha. A fish with "human teeth" and the "Eye of Sauron" was found in the Amazon

Scientists from the British Museum of Natural History have made a unique discovery. A new species of fish with human-like teeth and an eye on its back that resembles the eye of the dark lord Sauron from the cult movie The Lord of the Rings was discovered in the Amazon River basin.

The new species of fish, which has been disguised as a piranha for more than 200 years, is distinguished by its bright orange and black color and vegetarian lifestyle. So the newly discovered fish is not as scary as its ominous name, Livescience writes.

British scientists have named a new species of fish Myloplus sauron with the distinctive marking "Eye of Sauron". "As soon as we heard the proposed name for this species, it became clear that it was perfect. The piranha of this species really resembles the eye of Sauron with its red fins and orange spots on its body," commented Rupert Collins, Senior Curator at the London Museum.

The newly identified species, Myloplus sauron, is a pacu, a close relative of piranhas that are often confused with the iconic freshwater fish. The researchers discovered M. sauron while studying the nearly identical species M. schomburgkii, which was first discovered in the Amazon in 1841 but has been largely ignored by scientists since then.

Pacuas and piranhas, which belong to the family Serrasalmidae, are often considered aggressive bloodthirsty predators. However, most members of both groups are actually omnivores and prefer a plant-based diet. Most pacu, for example, have flattened human-like teeth that help them eat plants rather than tear through flesh.

Despite the similarities between pacu species, researchers are not sure how closely related these fish are. It is possible that they could all have come from a single ancestor. But it is also possible that they are distantly related and have all evolved to look alike and increase their chances of survival in their environment.

Scientists emphasize that Myloplus sauron enriches Amazon biodiversity. This species is found only in the Shingu River basin, which is home to more than 600 species of fish, including 70 newly discovered ones.

The researchers note that about 42% of the fish species in the Amazon have not yet been studied. This emphasizes the need for further thorough research of this amazing ecosystem.

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