Mantis Shrimp

ID points

• A pair of folded raptorial claws that snap out in an instant
• Eyes set on stalks that swivel independently
• Body pieced together in green, blue and orange, extremely bright

Basics

Family

Odontodactylidae

Length

10–18 cm

Depth

3-40 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Shallow tropical coral reefs and burrows on the sea floor

Habitat

Burrows in shallow reef sand

Diet

Crabs, molluscs

Easily confused with

BlennyOften has forked fleshy tentacles above the eyesFlatwormBody as thin as a sheet of paper, with rippling edgesLizard GobyVery small, with a short rounded body flattened side to side

Fun fact

The mantis shrimp has 16 types of photoreceptor, more than 5 times the 3 that humans have, giving it the most complex visual system known in any animal. Smashing species strike at over 80 km per hour, and the cavitation bubble that collapses at the moment of impact can reach roughly 4000-5000 K, about 70-80% of the temperature of the surface of the sun, easily enough to shatter aquarium glass.