What is this?

[watson10]

We caught this off of Point Fermin 4.28.07 Is this a spiny lobster?

Thanks.

[Soakin Bait]

Hear it was a Mantis Shrimp.
Be careful the little boogers can break aquiarium glass hence none are kept in saltwater aquariums.

[troutdog]

Bait Soaker is right...mantis shrimp. Everytime I see one brought on a sportfishing boat, great caution is taken in dealing with them. After reading these quotes I know I won't be screwing with one anytime soon!


"A large 25 cm Californian species (Hemisquilla ensigera) can strike with a force approaching that of a small-caliber bullet, and can easily break a double layer of safety glass."

"I handle stomatopods every day in our lab and when I'm in the field it is not uncommon to measure and sex 150 animals in an evening. Needless to say, I'm struck fairly often. Some species are far worse than others, but it usually hurts. Even a 2 cm Gonodactylus can draw blood and a 4 cm animal can drive the dactyl tips to the bone. Aside from a two inch slice in my hand made by a large lysiosquillid (by the uropod spine, not the dactyl), the most severe injury I have incurred was from a 7 cm Gonodactylus chiragra that drove its dactyl into the joint of my index finger and the tip broke off. It took some minor surgery to remove it. But that is nothing compared to what happen to a diver from South Africa who wrote me a few years ago describing his attempt to grab by hand an 18 cm Odontodactylus. The animal severely injured his finger which became infected by a chiton-digesting bacteria. The infection did not respond to the usual antibiotics. In the end, they amputated the finger. Be careful out there!" Dr. Roy Caldwell

Pretty crazy


TD

[one_leg]

I have seen them below 150 feet at Catalina. We had an agreement. I left them alone and they did the same for me.

[sansou]

Very dangerous creature. It will put a deep gash in your finger before you can even have a chance to react. There was thread a couple years ago on a local SD site where this happened to a local fisherman. The pics were horrific cause his finger was dangling...

[Troutman65]

Sounds like some knarly creatures, But can you cookem up and eat them?.

[rusty6]

they strike with the claw thingies... and it happens so quickly that it creates these bubbles that when they collapse, they pretty much create a second hit... so even if the shrimp misses on it's attack, the bubbles are enough to kill the prey... and also, sometimes when the bubbles collapse, it creates light and high temperatures... you can't see it, but i guess they can be detected with like, advanced equipment and stuff...another interesting tid bit is that they are called the pissing shrimp...so when you plan on cooking one, spear it so it leaks out all its fluids...they also have the most developed eyes in the animal kingdom and are able to remember their neighboring shrimp. also, when traveling accross land, from pool to pool, they roll into a ball because their legs cannot support them on land. pretty interesting little guys.

[sansou]

Sounds like some knarly creatures, But can you cookem up and eat them?.

You can eat anything.....at least once. Ha ha!!

[kingjester13]

:shock:


KJ13 8)

[Troutman65]

Maybe tast like chicken? Or lobster?
In that case I the butter w/garlic sauce a waitin