Giant shrimp as long as your arm caught off Florida coast

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An enormous shrimp, measuring a whopping 18 inches long caught off the coast of Florida is thought to be the fearsome mantis shrimp with a claw so powerful it can break aquarium glass.

The creature, which can hardly be called a "shrimp," was about as long as the arm of the fisherman who caught it off a dock in Fort Pierce on the Atlantic side of the sunshine state.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, it is likely to be a mantis shrimp, a type of crustacean not actually related to shrimp at all, which has a spring loaded hammerlike claw which can lash out at speeds of 50 miles an hour. It is designed to break through the shells of unsuspecting prey

Mantis sounds about right.

It was caught by fisherman Steve Bargeron, who also noted the powerful strike of its tail which he wisely steered well clear of.

According to this USA Today report, there have been several cases of mantis shrimp breaking aquarium glass as they use their claw to try and dig out.

The 18 inch shrimp is thought to be a mantis shrimp actually a type of cruscean with a powerful tail and predatory claw. The 18 inch shrimp is thought to be a mantis shrimp actually a type of cruscean with a powerful tail and predatory claw. Photo: Steve Bargeron Via Florida Fish And Wildlife Photo: Steve Bargeron Via Florida Fish And Wildlife Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close Giant shrimp as long as your arm caught off Florida coast 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

This "usually leads to their whacking the glass, chipping it, and just causing a leak," biologist Roy Caldwell told USA Today.

In some cases though, the glass has been completely broken, "This usually happens when they attack their reflection or when they try to hit a teasing finger waving at them through the glass," Caldwell said.

So parents, when your kid is ignoring the signs and tapping on the glass at the downtown aquarium, watch out, that's all we're saying.

Pictures were posted by Florida Fish and Wildlife yesterday. Comments to the post suggest they are a fairly common catch in the area.

Tampa Bay station WTSP report that Bargeron did return the shrimp to the water.