Help - what sort of prawn??

Submitted: Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 12:48
ThreadID: 72910 Views:5442 Replies:8 FollowUps:8
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We're at Port Smith just south of Broome when yesterday saw this prawn - no idea what it is

It was about 5'long, straw coloured, had a tail like a scorpion but moved down not up, had a body like a small lobster, long front arms like a cherabin, and the right nipper a claw like a mudcrab and a flipper on the other like a swimmer crab!

Never seen one before - what was it?
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Reply By: Member - Wamuranman - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 12:59

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 12:59
Five feet long - it is some prawn....lol

AnswerID: 386493

Follow Up By: Dave(NSW) - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 13:17

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 13:17
Might be the one at Ballina on top of the servo lol.
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Follow Up By: Fred G NSW - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 13:40

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 13:40
Don't get many of them to the kilo :-)))
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Reply By: Member - Duncs - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 13:32

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 13:32
Was it all the same colour?

My first thought was a coral banded shrimp, but if it was an even straw colour that doesn't quite fit.

As the name implies a coral banded shrimp has bands across its body and that large right nipper.

Could be a boring West Australian variety.

I am happy to be corrected on this, I am working off the knowledge imparted by a one time scuba diving buddy. haven't dived in about 18 years.

Duncs
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Follow Up By: Custom Boat Loaders- Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 13:50

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 13:50
All the same colour - and it's body and tail was more like 7 inches long [not foot ;-)) ]

The main part of the body was about 3" long x 2" shaped like a lobster, the long spindly front legs/nippers about 4" and the tail about 4"x 1/2"wide. The tail was segmented like a lobster.

Never seen anything like it!

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Reply By: Serendipity of Mandurah (WA) - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 14:08

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 14:08
Maybe one of these.

Scampi
The giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), also known as the giant freshwater prawn or the Malaysian prawn, is a species of freshwater shrimp (not prawn) native to the Indo-Pacific and northern Australia. This species (as well as other Macrobrachium) is commercially important for its value as a food source.While this species is considered a freshwater one, the larval stage of the animal depends on brackish water.

http://mumbaifish.com/forms/CateListFreshWater.aspx

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Reply By: Member - Brian (WA) - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 16:04

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 16:04
Can recall something like that.Think it was called a Killer Prawn.Thrown my
speices books out now. We use to one in the drag net now and again.
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Reply By: Member - Duane A (WA) - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 16:11

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 16:11
If your hanging out with Rob up there you blokes better put that Drambuhie away your starting to see things. Sounds like a high speed deep diving racing scampi well known in thoise parts LOL ! . Nah all jokes aside post a picture of it so we can take a close look regards To all up there .
AnswerID: 386519

Reply By: trilogy - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 17:15

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 17:15
Most likley a Mantis shrimp
photo available at


http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/Mantis-Shrimp-adult
AnswerID: 386524

Reply By: Member - Tony V (NSW) - Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 23:26

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 at 23:26
Just to make things easier.

Mantis Shrimp
AnswerID: 386556

Follow Up By: nsngood - Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 00:12

Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 00:12
GEEZUZ Who eats who for dinner lol
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Follow Up By: nsngood - Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 00:15

Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 00:15
Actually after my initial shock i realised that we actually used to get a lot of these things in the families prawn trawlers that used to operate in the gulf of carpentaria during the 70's/80's. some of the front pincers(?) used to get quite large.
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Follow Up By: Custom Boat Loaders- Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 13:08

Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 13:08
No this isn't it. At first glance when I saw it scuttling along the sand, I thought it was a very large scorpion however it has a nipper like a mudcrab and uses it the same way. It can put it's nippers behind just like a mudcrab, and they are a hard nipper - same as a crab. The body was thicker than the tail and no markings.

Perhaps it isn't a prawn - more of a strange crab? I didn't have the camera or anything to scoop it into and wasn't sure about the tail even though it didnt come upwards!

Thanks to all the replies.

Di
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Follow Up By: Maîneÿ . . .- Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 18:54

Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 18:54
You say: -> "I saw it scuttling along the sand"

So it can live out of water without hassles then ??

Maîneÿ . . .
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Follow Up By: Custom Boat Loaders- Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 19:04

Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 19:04
Yes, which means probably not a prawn.?? It behaves like a crab when threatened - stopping and waving the nippers around and raises them behind the head if you try to get it from behind - but it doesn't walk sides way - goes forwards or backwards.

I've looked online and can't find anything that resembles it.

Di
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Reply By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 01:06

Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 at 01:06
could be scampy
Dunc
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