Photos of 18-inch ‘shrimp’ get national attention


A fisherman pulled in what has been described as a ‘monstrous giant shrimp’ off Fort Pierce, and has gained some national attention as a result.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission, on its Facebook page, reported that fisherman Steve Bargeron saw a fellow fisherman pull in an 18-inch creature that bore a resemblance to a shrimp. Bargeron snapped photos of the "giant shrimp" and sent them off to the FWC, after grabbing it by its back like a lobster to get it under control.

In turn, the creature has ended up on sites such as USA Today, Deadspin and Gizmodo.

The FWC said scientists believe may be a type of “mantis shrimp”, which actually may be related to a crustacean called a stomatopod rather than the usual shrimp. They’ll continue to review the pictures to determine the exact species.

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