Can someone tell me what this creature is?
It was about 5" long.

Ron, Would it be possible for you to crop the original keeping only the creature and reducing the quality only enough to post here. Or e-mailing the original to me.

I believe it is a fuzzy chiton. Although 5" would be a huge specimen.

Tom, I cropped it the best I could. I found it on the rocks right in front of Eden Beach and yes it was 5" although there were many other smaller ones around. I have been into saltwater aquariums as a hobby for many years and have never seen anything like this.


(Message edited by limpit on April 24, 2005)

Chitons are mollusks. They are pretty common in some coastal areas around Bonaire. Locals sometimes will harvest them and cook them - they are pretty chewy, from personal experience. Antillean lore has that they improve male fertility when eaten (no comments other than to say we stopped at two kids some years back ;-) ).

Chitons are very reminiscent of prehistoric trilobytes, IMHO.

Jake

Thanks Ron. That is one BIG Chiton. The largest I have seen was about 2 1/2 to 3".

How did they taste Jake?

Not much like anything at all. Maybe like a really chewy snail (escargot).

Jake

Ron,

Jake is right on the money. Your chiton has an interesting speckled mantle around the edge.
Some cultures, including the Japanese, eat them raw. The shells are traded in the world of malacology. Some, like yours, are valuable.
Here is a good Caribbean chiton site. Looks Calloplax to me.

http://home.inreach.com/burghart/eastcoas.html

Bud

I have to say, it certainly doesn't look very appetizing...ick!

I'd try one!

arf!

I tried to pull one off of the rocks with my teeth but I could't doggie paddle and get to the little critter.

Bud it never ceases to amaze me what one can find on the WWW.
Dave

Thanks for all the info.
If I would have known you could eat them we could have saved a lot of money by not going out to eat!