Who are these guys?

[tarponchik]

1. Mantis or False Mantis?
2. 3 feet away from this shrimp there was a "tapir" looking out from his hole. The only fish with a face like this in my old Humann & Deloach book is Blackspotted Eel, but it has not been reported in Florida.

Just south of Blue Heron Bridge.

 

[Searcaigh]

1. is a Mantis shrimp, no idea which species though
2. is an eel

 

[tarponchik]

1. is a Mantis shrimp, no idea which species though
2. is an eel

Pretty much what I figured out but I'd like a more detailed answer.

 

[archman]

The shrimp-thing appears to be a lysiosquillid. There are a 2-3-ish species found in coastal Florida waters. Squilla empusa is the most common species and the most likely candidate, but the specimen in the picture seems like a much larger-sized animal (like Lysiosquilla scabricauda). If you felt sort of scared getting this close to take a picture I would go with the latter, ha ha. Any of the lysiosquillids can spear through a finger clean into the bone, but the big one would actually scare the crap out of me to get too close to. Ha ha.

 

[tarponchik]

The shrimp-thing appears to be a lysiosquillid. There are a 2-3-ish species found in coastal Florida waters. Squilla empusa is the most common species and the most likely candidate, but the specimen in the picture seems like a much larger-sized animal (like Lysiosquilla scabricauda). If you felt sort of scared getting this close to take a picture I would go with the latter, ha ha. Any of the lysiosquillids can spear through a finger clean into the bone, but the big one would actually scare the crap out of me to get too close to. Ha ha.

Thanks! I'll be careful the next time.

 

[divinh]

I have photos of the first one, but taken in Thailand, around Koh Ha. It's a mantas shrimp, just not a Peacock one.

 

[trygon]

The eel is a Snake Eel, Ophichthidae, it might be a dark Golden Spotted. Sometimes they're called Sharp Tailed Eels, you may want to search that also.

 

[tarponchik]

The eel is a Snake Eel, Ophichthidae, it might be a dark Golden Spotted. Sometimes they're called Sharp Tailed Eels, you may want to search that also.

I know the Sharptail Eels. They do not dig into the sand but crowl around the reefs. If you meant Spotted Snake Eel, Ophichthus ophis, it should have "dark spots on head and body" as distinctive feature. Though colors can vary, of course.

 

[tursiops]

Sometimes they're called Sharp Tailed Eels

That's an entirely different animal.

 

[arcticat99]

Bob and Fred