OK, all you ichthyologists out there, what is it?

[trseato]

Caught it in my cast net.

[JT]

a distant ancestor of Moonpie?

[lurefisher]

I don't know the answer to this one . What is it ?

[Ibtsoom]

Checkered puffer (spheroides testudineus) if I had to guess - but it's been almost 20 years since I took ichthyology.

[Moonpie]

Yep, puffer fish

[trseato]

Thanks, a puffer fish is the closest thing that I found except the little guy never puffed up. He was like a little sack of jelly and made a squeaking noise when it was out of the water.

[SCHU]

Baby puffer...that squeaking noise was him pulling in air to puff up?

[pieman]

Its a strike king grass frog. $3.99 at Academy.

[dbarham]

Its a strike king grass frog. $3.99 at Academy.

Loma! Looks like

[Explorer21]

Bring it to TAMU Galveston or email them. Not sure who, but it might be worth a shoot. Either way, it's cool looking. Did you release it or did it die?

[trseato]

Bring it to TAMU Galveston or email them. Not sure who, but it might be worth a shoot. Either way, it's cool looking. Did you release it or did it die?

Released back into the canal at Sea Isle to grow up. Not sure how to contact TAMU Galveston.

[Ibtsoom]

It's a checkered puffer. I promise.

[2112]

WTheck...you got 'em from a cast net I suppose?

[trseato]

Bring it to TAMU Galveston or email them.

I found this website so I sent an email to Brenda.

http://tamutimes.tamu.edu/2012/10/31/new-website-helps-identify-marine-species/#.U9lnaVaZv2S

Here is what she replied with.

That is a striped burrfish, Chilomycterus shoepfii.
http://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetails.cfm?scinameID=Chilomycterus%20schoepfii

[Ibtsoom]

Yep she's right - I googled images of it and the juveniles look just like frogs like the one you caught. Told you it'd been 20 years since I took ichthyology. lol