Westport Man’s Mantis Shrimp Mystery Solved After Wareham Find

Our recent article about a mantis shrimp that was found ashore in Wareham has helped a Westport man solve a nearly year-long mystery.

We received an email this week from Doug Glassman, who said that he found a “deceased mysterious shelled creature” on his dock back in April 2022, but couldn’t get any answers as to what it was.

“I live in Westport, MA on the Westport River with a dock. Seagulls tend to use the dock as a plate for eating mostly crabs and other occasional shelled wildlife,” Glassman wrote.

“Back in April 2022, there was a deceased mysterious shelled creature that a seagull left on my dock. I wasn't sure what it quite was,” he wrote. “I took pictures of it and asked a lot of people what it was, (but) no one ever gave me the accurate answer.”

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Glassman said it wasn’t until he saw our article that he knew exactly what it was that he had found.

He said it wasn’t the only time he found one, either.

“A couple months later, another one showed up on the dock again,” he said. “So now I know this wasn't just a one-off type of thing.”

Hundreds of people commented on the original story about the Wareham mantis shrimp, with many chiming in about how often they find them in the area.

People shared stories about finding them around Duxbury, Swansea, Dartmouth and numerous other places across the SouthCoast, pointing out that they’re actually quite common.

However, there were enough people who had never heard of these fascinating little guys that we’re glad we could help them learn something new, just like Doug Glassman did.

And yes, you can eat mantis shrimp. Most recommended serving them like lobster, with plenty of drawn butter for dipping.

Fortunato Conte suggested they be “sautéed in garlic, extra virgin olive oil, tomato puree, basil, comes out with amazing flavor.”

Can’t wait to try one.