The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says a fisherman hauled this sucker out of the ocean yesterday. It is supposed to be some kind of mantis shrimp.
The organization's Facebook page had this to say:
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. [Facebook]
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