Sharksbaja - 6-12-2005 at 12:39 AM
Someone told me that aside from the Rock Lobster and Pacific Spiny Lobster there are also Sand Lobsters around the Cape. Does anyone know anything
about these:
dono - 6-12-2005 at 05:17 AM
Sharks I have taken alot of lobster here but they are your basic red Mexican lobsters i have never seen anything like the one in your photo
comitan - 6-12-2005 at 06:27 AM
Sharks
I have taken probably taken 2 or 3 in many years we call them slipper lobster, they don't taste any different.
turtleandtoad - 6-12-2005 at 06:47 AM
Australia has an experemental captive breeding program for sand lobster (Thenus orientalis), aimed at creating Lobster Farms.
India has also had positive results in this area. They exported 130 M tons of them last year, all of them caught in the traditional fashon, so there
is a large market for them.
I'm not sure that the scientists even know that they are showing up in BCS.
Me No - 6-12-2005 at 07:55 AM
I've bought many of these from locals at San Lucas Cove. They taste very similar to spiney lobsters.
Ever eat a Mantis Shrimp? They are larger than a regular shrimp, their shell is see through, and their feet are bright blue and yellow. Also, very
good eating.
Ken Bondy - 6-12-2005 at 08:05 AM
Sharks that's a slipper lobster. They are not uncommon in the Sea of Cortez, I have seen them many times underwater. Here's a picture of one from
Australia, they look pretty much the same in Mexico 
++Ken++
http://makeashorterlink.com/?I1F023F3B
[Edited on 6-12-2005 by Ken Bondy]
Ken Bondy - 6-12-2005 at 08:08 AM
Thanks Me No, I edited it with a "Make a Shorter Link" that seems to work now.
++Ken++
Mantis shrimp
Ken Bondy - 6-12-2005 at 08:13 AM
Me No reminded me of what a bizarre animal a mantis shrimp is. This is one from Indonesia, they are a little more brightly colored than the ones you
see in California or the Sea of Cortez:
Me No - 6-12-2005 at 08:18 AM
It is an amazing little creature. It is one of the only animals on the planet to stun its pray with sound waves, and if you ever run across one be
very careful how you handle it. It has a mouth like two razor sharp, counter opposed sickles. It will take the end of your finger off in nothing
flat.
Ken Bondy - 6-12-2005 at 08:24 AM
They can be very dangerous. They also have a "hammer claw" that can break your finger (and the glass port on an underwater camera). Did you ever see
that National Geographic film about them where, in an aquarium, one would consistently break a mirror with the hammer claw? I have come across them a
few times and have approached them very cautiously. They seem curious, and if you don't threaten them they will let you get very close. I actually
think the one in the photo I posted was looking at its reflection in my lens port.
++Ken++
turtleandtoad - 6-12-2005 at 08:32 AM
Ken is probably right about the lobster being a Slipper and not a Sand. The Slipper is a Pacific species and the Sand is an Indian subfamily/species
of the same family.
In the picture it's hard to tell, but it would be logical (and a much shorter trip for the lobster).
Both are also called "Flathead" or "Flat" lobsters.
mmmm... these pictures
eetdrt88 - 6-12-2005 at 09:19 AM
of lobster and shrimp are makin me hungry....must eat lobster now!!!!
Diver - 6-12-2005 at 09:33 AM
They are called slipper or shovelnose lobster. They tend to burrow in the sand when resting or threatened. We used to see more of them night diving
than during the day. This was in many places in south Florida and the Carribean islands.
Skipjack Joe - 6-12-2005 at 09:51 AM
Great picture, Ken. They are weird looking. Those eyes perched on top like some periscope. Looks like one of those George Lucas film creations. The
guides at Christmas Island fish for them by dropping a line into their holes during low tide. They consider them a delicacy. I found the taste to be
too sweet. Maine lobsters are better.
Ken Bondy - 6-12-2005 at 10:13 AM
Thanks Skipjack. Never tasted a mantis shrimp but I have eaten slipper lobster. As I recall they taste about the same as the spiny (GOOD!). Diver,
come to think about it I don't think I've ever seen a slipper lobster in the daytime (other than molts :lol
. Every live one I've come across has been at night.
++Ken++
Thanks you learn-ed people
Sharksbaja - 6-12-2005 at 11:56 AM
I guess who told me was correct in one sense. The pic was found on Google with "Sand Lobster". Now I realize I have had them but unaware because they
were cooked. They were very good. I also had the opportunity to eat a Mantis Shrimp on Cat. Island when a grad student used a trap to catch and study
them. I was impressed not only with the awesome strength in their spring-loaded claws but their size and taste also. And yes, they can snip the end
off a cigar(or your finger) in a blink. Scary! Good pics there Ken. The least flavorful though still has to be the rock lob.
lobster
jerry - 6-12-2005 at 05:41 PM
in loreto i have eaten a lobster called a cocoratcha the shell on the tail is very hard and very sharp the tail is wider then a spinny the flavore is
better but i have never seen the whole lobster
i was told the head looks like a dungnes crab with the lobster tail??
well sharks that lobster looks a little like a crab head?? ever since i ate one i been trying to get the mexican to bring me a whole one no luck so
far
have a good one jerry
JarJar
Skipjack Joe - 6-12-2005 at 09:21 PM
Here's the star wars creature that I thought may have been inspired by that mantis shrimp (image courtesy of my nine-year old). This monstrosity is
called a jarjar. A lot of science fiction aliens seem to be inspired by either crustaceans, insects, or spiders (and N-zis).
Debra - 6-12-2005 at 09:38 PM
Since Ken won't do a "shameless plug" I'll do it for him....
If you like to see great underwater photos visit
www.kenbondy.com
Ken Bondy - 6-12-2005 at 09:51 PM
Thank you Debra. I am very flattered.
++Ken++
Skipjack Joe - 6-12-2005 at 10:05 PM
Thanks for the tip Debra. No, I had never seen them before.
Lots of great images here, Ken. Nudibranchs seem to be your favorite subjects. I liked both the pictures and the subjects you chose. The grizzly bear
and leaping salmon on the brooks river would probably be accepted by any major calendar publisher.
I thought the Indondesia animals were the most interesting. That blue ribbon eel on the bottom was the oddest moray eel I have ever seen ( I assume
that's what it is). Also that seahorse with the red warts was exceptional. The red bumps probably mimic the coral it prefers to live in (makes sense).
Great hornbill shot. I thought all the hornbills were in Africa.
I think I read somewhere that the Indonesian archipelago has the richest diversity of marine life in the world due eons of stable climatic conditions.
Maybe that's why I liked those images the most. All are great though.
Sharksbaja - 6-12-2005 at 11:07 PM
Kens' da man with the eye! So I take it they are not caught in traditional traps or they would be more available?
Ken Bondy - 6-13-2005 at 08:15 AM
Thanks Skipjack. I greatly appreciate the nice comments. You are right about the pygmy seahorse with the red warts. They are only found on
gorgonian corals with the same red warts. Amazing mimicry. They are only about 1/2 inch long, hard to find.
++Ken++
PS the blue ribbon eel is a moray. Member of the muraenidea family of eels.
[Edited on 6-13-2005 by Ken Bondy]
OFFCOURSE2 - 6-14-2005 at 09:55 AM
We call them slipper lobster here in Florida. Usually found upside down attached to the inside of coral heads.I prefer them over spineys they taste
sweeter.
Debra - 6-14-2005 at 01:30 PM
Glad I'm not in trouble.......Ken's web-site is so great I couldn't help but share.
Actually Debra..
Sharksbaja - 6-14-2005 at 03:24 PM
That is how a thread is suppose to follow suit isn't it. It isn't always necessary to stay exactly on topic. I like evolving content as long
as it stays in the ballpark and to the initial discussion so to speak. You made the post more interesting and popular in doing so.