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Mantis Shrimp

Wednesday, 19 August 2009

Mantis shrimp look like they could have landed from outer space with their three-pupil eyes and raptorial appendages that are their secret weapons for killing prey, sometimes in a single blow!

Check out their eyes! When you watch the video, notice that on each stalk, their eyes move about independently of one another. It is believed they can see from ultra-violet light to infra red and their eyes are considered to be the most complex in the animal kingdom.

Mantis shrimp evolved in the crustacean family, stomatopods, and are related to lobsters and crabs. They can grow up to about a foot long and kind of look like an underwater cross between a praying mantis and a shrimp.

Mantis shrimp tend to live alone in either rock formations or by burrowing holes in the sand. There are two main types of mantis shrimp called smasher with a club like appendage for a weapon or spearer with a claw-like appendage they use to stab fish. They either lie in wait or actively go out and hunt for food! They are amazing to watch. We used to spot the mantis shrimp on coral reefs looking for the kinds of holes, in the rocky reef there would be coral rubble piled up with an entrance and exit. In the sand, just one perfect round hole. When their home was spotted, we would back away and wait, hoping that they would show themselves.

The smasher mantis shrimp always had two holes and when the female had a clutch of eggs, one of the holes would be covered. The pink mass you see is a clutch of thousands of eggs. Some mantis shrimp form monogamous breeding pairs and take care of the clutch of eggs.

Some mantis shrimp have brilliant colors and even fluoresce to signal one another. It is believed that they use color patterns during mating and could be signaled by the tides and moon phases.