Swimming/wading in the Gulf, I noticed in the wave swells in front of me, these long green things that looked like pieces of grass. I dismissed it but a few minutes later, I looked again and saw eyes and a head that would brush up on the surface a bit.... then a LONG snout. Then razor TEETH!! yikes! They were about 18" long! Their heads reminded us of sea horses almost floating on the surface, yet their sharp snouts and teeth were indicative of a hunting fish.
They were staring at all of us wading in waist deep water as if they were wondering what we were and if we tasted good. They would literally hover two or three at a time about 12 inches from us and just BOLDLY hang out there.
They lined right up together, pointed at us like this!
We slowly backed out of the water and offered a detailed description of what we saw to the local guys employed by the surf shop selling paddleboat excursions - hoping they could tell us what they were and if they were harmless. The guys said they were probably "ballyhoos". Nope...a quick search on ballyhoo photos did not yield what we saw..
They looked a bit like this. But very green (like above photo).
I fervently phone-googled "sea serpant", "gulf of Mexico sea snake", "Marine life in Gulf" yielding no results of anything that was what we all saw.
It took a more dedicated search later on my laptop to discover photos
and interesting information of the creature.
Meet the predatory Needlefish. Sometimes called Alligator Hound Fish!
There are several varieties. Common in the Gulf and all over the world, they kill more people each year than sharks and jellyfish combined. A needlefish encounter killed a 10 year old boy who was fishing when a beak penetrated his eye and fatally lodged in his brain.
There are several varieties. Common in the Gulf and all over the world, they kill more people each year than sharks and jellyfish combined. A needlefish encounter killed a 10 year old boy who was fishing when a beak penetrated his eye and fatally lodged in his brain.
These hunting fish were stunningly bold when Cory walked toward them to investigate and deter them from encroaching too close to us. They were a bit slow to evacuate the area and returned a short time later.
http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/needle.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Needlefish
Apparently, they are a cousin to the flying-fish and can leap out of the water at 30-50 mph for great distances. This is often where encounters with humans turn fatal.
The local beach guys/surf shop in Captiva appeared to lack awareness
of what these things were, which added to the mystery.
Happy swimming!
Ciao!
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