Cryptids,  Florida,  Lazarus Taxon,  S

Specs

Specs is a cryptid and possible Lazarus taxon. It was sighted in Florida in 1959. It was seen in a large underwater cave at about 35 feet deep. It was reported to have a cylindrical body measuring five and a half feet long, eight spiny legs, and stood three feet off the sea floor. It had a pointed head with stalks that have brown spotted eyes the size of silver dollars on the end. It was called Specs by the press due to a team going back to try to get ‘specs’ on the creature. It has been compared to the Spiny Lobster, or the Japanese Spider Crab, both being seen as unlikely answers. Other theories are that it was possibly a living specimen of an extinct species known as Sea Scorpions.

Citations:

Newton, Michael. Florida’s Unexpected Wildlife: Exotic Species, Living Fossils, and Mythical Beasts in the Sunshine State. United States, University Press of Florida, 2007.