Killer Crustacean: Enormous stomatopod caught in Florida

A fisherman from Fort Pierce, Florida reeled in the above as yet unidentified crustacean while fishing from of all places, a dock. Steven Bargeron sent pictures of his catch to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for identification. From yesterday's post on the FWC Facebook feed:

Who you calling a ‘shrimp’?
Steve Bargeron was fishing from a dock in Fort Pierce as he watched a fellow fisherman pull this creature out of the water. Steve said the massive thing was about 18 inches long and striking its own tail, so he grabbed it by its back like a lobster. Scientists think it may be some type of mantis shrimp (which are actually not related to shrimp, but are a type of crustacean called a stomatopod), and continue to review the photos to identify the exact species.

Judging by the morphology, it does indeed appear to be a Mantis Shrimp but at a foot and a half in length, it would be an extraordinarily large specimen. According to the Mantis Shrimp Wikipedia page (my emphasis):

Mantis shrimp or stomatopods are marine crustaceans, the members of the order Stomatopoda. They may reach 30 centimetres (12 in) in length, though in exceptional cases have been recorded at up to 38 cm (15 in).[2] The carapace of mantis shrimp covers only the rear part of the head and the first four segments of the thorax. There are more than 400 species of Mantis shrimp. They come in a variety of colours, from shades of brown to bright neon colours and are among the most important predators in many shallow, tropical and sub-tropical marine habitats. Despite being common, they are poorly understood as many species spend most of their life tucked away in burrows and holes.[3]

Called "sea locusts" by ancient Assyrians, "prawn killers" in Australia[4] and now sometimes referred to as "thumb splitters" – because of the animal's ability to inflict painful gashes if handled incautiously[5] – mantis shrimp sport powerful claws that they use to attack and kill prey by spearing, stunning, or dismemberment. In captivity, some larger species are capable of breaking through aquarium glass with a single strike.[6]

Additional sources:

Local NBC affliate WMBF
Tampa Bay 10 News
The Weather Channel

BONUS:

Technically, this story from 2012 isn't related but I stumbled on it looking for additional sources and it has some remarkable pictures of foot long amphipods (which also aren't true shrimp) pulled up from a depth of about 4 miles in a trench off New Zealand.

Nat Geo - Pictures: "Supergiant," Shrimp-Like Beasts Found in Deep Sea

That shrimp is going to throw you on the barbie!

I got a feeling it's not really that big. I think the shrimp or whatever it is may just be close to the camera, making it appear larger than it really is. Kinda like the bogus giant camel spider thing years ago.

If the regular ones can destroy your thumb, think what that guy could do if you let him!

originally posted by: proob4
I got a feeling it's not really that big. I think the shrimp or whatever it is may just be close to the camera, making it appear larger than it really is. Kinda like the bogus giant camel spider thing years ago.

It does appear larger in the picture due to perspective but 18" is quite plausible, though it would be half-again larger than the average length. If you look at the Facebook page, there are pictures of other, similar mantis shrimp, caught in the same general area and they're easily a foot in length.

like this one

You can also get a really clear look at spiked claws on these monsters. I would have had it mounted with a fish in its claws!

I shared that earlier and a few friends were saying that they needed more cocktail sauce

originally posted by: theantediluvian

originally posted by: proob4
I got a feeling it's not really that big. I think the shrimp or whatever it is may just be close to the camera, making it appear larger than it really is. Kinda like the bogus giant camel spider thing years ago.

It does appear larger in the picture due to perspective but 18" is quite plausible, though it would be half-again larger than the average length. If you look at the Facebook page, there are pictures of other, similar mantis shrimp, caught in the same general area and they're easily a foot in length.

like this one

You can also get a really clear look at spiked claws on these monsters. I would have had it mounted with a fish in its claws!

Oh man the claws on the one in the pic you posted are nasty looking, now i get why it's called the mantis shrimp.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I bet it's delicious.

Look like we are going to need a bigger shrimp'n boat.

a reply to: hillbilly4rent

lol

a reply to: Eyemin



Its nice to plug 2 movies with 1 sentence.

-takes a deep breath
PUT THAT THING BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM OR SO HELP MEEEEEEEEE!

that thing looks like it belongs in the Jurassic period

I am rather curious as to if it is editable or not and if so, would it taste more like lobster as it is basically from that family, or shrimp? Or let us not forget... Chicken!.... We will probably see it as a delacasy in Japan soon.

a reply to: onehuman

I've eaten a smaller version in Viet Nam. Sooooo good!! Like you said, it does taste like a combination of shrimp and lobster.

I would have eaten it!

a reply to: theantediluvian

Yeah.. they are already freaky enough without tge size.

They can see polarized light and aallegedly more colors than any other animal but that is disputed. Then they have those spring loaded hammer arms.

Nightmare fuel.

I live in the area were this was caught and do a ton of fishing. But never have seen one of these before. A friend of mine was in japan and said they serve pretty big mantis shrimp but not like this and said the same that it tasted like a cross between a shrimp and a lobster. Well if I ever catch one on my fishing adventures I will be sure to share some pics of it on the grill and let you guys know how it was. Cheers

Off the coast of Florida?
Hmm,could it be a mutant caused by the synthetic life form they have been pumping into the gulf of mexico to attempt to get rid of the oil from the BP disaster?

"Synthia" I thin its called.

The creation of the new life form, which has been nicknamed ‘Synthia’, paves the way for customised bugs that could revolutionise healthcare and fuel production, according to its maker.
But there are fears that the research, detailed in the journal Science, could be abused to create the ultimate biological weapon, or that one mistake in a lab could lead to millions being wiped out by a plague, in scenes reminiscent of the Will Smith film I Am Legend.

simontay78.com...

Wait until it starts making the Humbolt Sqiud mutate into 40 foot Chthulu like beasties,then panic.

a reply to: Monger

in some places they are a delicasie but they can be very dangerous we used to have lots of salt water mini reef thanks in our home and one of them all of a sudden started having bits and pieces of our expensive fish in the bottom of it. i went to remove a half eaten tang when something stuck my finger and split it open like a razorblade turns out a piece of socalled live rock had a mantis shrimp maybe 2 inches long living in a little cave.