What am I ??????

[myescape0]

We caught three of these at the beach...thought they were puffers but someone told us they were toadfish !!!!!!

 

[sterling]

Looks like some sort of puffer to me. How big are they?

 

[myescape0]

Originally posted by sterling
Looks like some sort of puffer to me. How big are they?
1--about 3"......1--about 4" ....and the biggest is about 6" or so (he's the one that's in the picture).

 

[irenicus]

That's definately a puffer, what type, you got me.

 

[waterdog]

that is a true puffer, not one of the mini tobys or anything. He is going to get very big. As to what kind, once again I am stumped, but check out that Boech guy's Marine Atlas book. I am sure he has something in there. It's possibly a juvenile color configuration.

 

[iswimnotchoke]

might i ask which beach you found this guy at? i recognize him

 

[myescape0]

Originally posted by IswimNOTchoke
might i ask which beach you found this guy at? i recognize him
At DuBois park in Jupiter, Florida.There were six others we couldn't catch they kept blending in with the slime, etc. on the sand. It's a shallow section that I like to go to, you can bbq there,swim or just sit in the water. Great for kids.We also a got a fucshia colored urchin,a horseshoe crab,other crabs,l/r,hermits,snails,a beige/yellow jellyfish (we let him go).We couldn't catch the fish we wanted....too fast

 

[ophiura]

Possibly the Southern Puffer, Sphoeroides nephelus, size to 10 or a little more inches. The checkered puffer, Sphoeroides testudineus is another possibility (but only gets to about 4 inches). Is there a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fins? If the coloration changes when it is out of the bag, and the bands on the tail become more obvious, then perhaps it is a bandtail, Sphoeroides spengleri. But this usually has a serious of dark marks along the body. Anyway, they will all get rather large, and will definitely chow down on a variety of inverts

 

[myescape0]

Originally posted by ophiura
Possibly the Southern Puffer, Sphoeroides nephelus, size to 10 or a little more inches. The checkered puffer, Sphoeroides testudineus is another possibility (but only gets to about 4 inches). Is there a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fins? If the coloration changes when it is out of the bag, and the bands on the tail become more obvious, then perhaps it is a bandtail, Sphoeroides spengleri. But this usually has a serious of dark marks along the body. Anyway, they will all get rather large, and will definitely chow down on a variety of inverts
He's definitely not a bandtail. He does resemble one in the Sphoeroides family.He also resembles the common toadfish.These guys puff...do toadfish puff. And he ate a crab in 3-4 bites when it spooked him crossing paths.He loves frozen squid.

 

[armageddon]

Let grouperhead have a look at it. Probably the best chance you have....try posting it in the aggressive forum so he doesn't miss it.

 

[myescape0]

Originally posted by Armageddon
Let grouperhead have a look at it. Probably the best chance you have....try posting it in the aggressive forum so he doesn't miss it.
ok thanks