A European fisherman posted a video on social media Wednesday of a fish cut in two still somehow shotgunning a beer.
Squirming around a commercial-grade cutting table adorned with other dead fish, the decapitated fish bit into the beer can with its sharp teeth and — in the process — made a splash, the video clip shows.
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The fish seen on film is identified in the post description as an Atlantic wolffish, which are a “bottom-dwelling, solitary fish of deep waters on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean,” according to the University of Maine.
The fish has been regarded as “programmed” to chomp downward, according to IFL Science. When a dead, headless Wolffish is presented with a can near its mouth, it’s a “neuromuscular reflex” that forces the fish’s toothy jaw to contract.
“The reason for why this reflex can persist after decapitation is because these are cold-water species, and the cold temperature allows tissues, like the brain, nerves, and muscle to ‘stay alive’ longer, before they die from lack of oxygen, and that the reflex arch from the mouth to the brain and back is unharmed by the decapitation,” University of Gothenburg Professor Björn Thrandur Björnsson explained to the outlet.
“Wolffish are widely renowned among fishermen for their ferocious appearance, temperament, and biting ability,” the University of Maine added. They are also reportedly predatory by nature in their underwater habitats. (RELATED: Video Shows Dog Leap Into Water To Go After Massive Shark)
These fishermen in Maine were looking for lobster, but ended up catching a rare marine predator known as a wolffish instead. pic.twitter.com/r06L2QA1S9
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 2, 2022
Known for their “savage” looking physical characteristics, the fish is also known as the “devil fish.” (RELATED: Scientists Unearth Giant Fish That Likely Ate Our Human Ancestors)