The Armored Division: A Ridgeback Slipper Lobster from Hawaii

What: Ridgeback Slipper Lobster (Scyllarides haanii); length about 20 in (50 cm).
They're edible, but taking them in Hawaii is limited to a state-regulated season.

Where: I took these photos during a night dive at Paniau Cove, Puako, Hawaii.


Click on the photos to enlarge.

Wordless Wednesday
Watery Wednesday

25 comments:

  1. Wow, that was close, really close up with this yummy guy.

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  2. Wow, that is real! Great taking!

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  3. They look like they would be pretty meaty.

    But in the same respect, they look very similar to me... to the ugly looking creatures that were living in the Ala Wai Canal over on Oahu.

    I'd try grinding one... It is LOBSTER!

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  4. Now that's one crusty crustacean.

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  5. @ewok - Yep, that was "in your face" close!

    @ damontucker Oh yeah - these guys are good grinds. Lotsa meat on them. ;-)

    Bobbie

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  6. The mouth looks a little like the claws of a crab...unique and interesting!

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  7. Your photos are always so beautifully done and so educational. I'm sorry I've missed them lately.

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  8. That is a strange looking lobster! Hope he tastes better than he looks.

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  9. I can honestly say I've never seen one of these before. It looks massive, like too much to eat. LOL! Excellent shots as usual.
    :-) Looks like you were close enough for it to reach out and pinch. :-D

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  10. Wow, what a strange creature ! I think we don't have to go in the outer space to find strange critters !

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  11. Great shots. He is a big fellow.. or was it a she!

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  12. That is a beautiful creature. So approachable compared to the ones around here. But there I go anthropomorphizing the critter.

    Your photography is always a thrill!

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  13. Great close up!
    I would have been slightly scared.

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  14. awesome lobster. we have that here too but hard to capture. good you captured one.

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  15. What a strange looking lobster. Did he even have claws?

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  16. Wow that's a lot meat. Great shots.

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  17. Thanks for visiting, everyone.

    To those who commented that it looked like I was very close to the lobster, I was! This was a real "in your face" situation!

    And yes, this was a big one, and would have yielded a lot of meat, but we didn't take it -- just took its picture.

    @Shannon - I never met a lobster that DIDN'T taste good!

    @Gattina - You're right. There are a lot of 'alien' looking creatures in the sea.

    @Scienceguy - No, slipper lobsters do not have claws.

    Bobbie

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  18. Lovely... Such a beautiful marine animal... One of the reasons I miss living in Hawaii is all the creatures in the ocean.. ok and a few of the people on the dryland.. a few...

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  19. Bobbie & Jerry... welcome to the FBI Blogs first, that is how I found you (I am one too).

    How big do you think this guy was? Since it is not lobster season any more, I assume you did not taste him/her? Have you ever spoken to anyone who has tasted one (Pardon me, I am a foodie)?

    I love your blog and I am adding it to my blog roll.

    ~devany
    Hilo, HI
    www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com

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  20. @ Brooke - What I always miss most when we travel away from Hawaii is the ocean, and what's in it.

    @ Devany - Always nice to 'meet' other FBI bloggers.

    This was one BIG slipper lobster - well over a foot long. We only hunt with a camera, so no, we didn't taste this guy.

    We have had slipper lobster, however, and the tail meat is just as good as (and very similar to) spiny lobster.

    Bobbie

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  21. A very handsome fellow with dill and a home made seafood sauce. Oh goodness, what am I thinking of?

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  22. now that is what i call cracker!
    :D

    Happy WW

    http://whenhekissesher.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/found-light/

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  23. Hmmm. Interesting creature. I've never heard of a ridgeback slipper lobster before. Are they common in Pacific waters...only around Hawaii?

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  24. Great shots Bobbie, the sea always gives you quite a show doesn't it !!

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  25. gosh, it looks creepy! i wonder if its yummy? ahaha

    mine are here and here.

    tc

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We welcome your comments and invite your questions. Dialogue is a good thing!

Bobbie & Jerry