Pistol Shrimp
Pistol Shrimp
Alpheus
CommonAlpheidaeHarmless
ID points
- One claw is hugely enlarged and fires a shockwave bubble
- Almost blind, and usually lives with a goby
- Most of the crackling heard on a reef comes from it
Basics
- Family
- Alpheidae
- Length
- 3–6 cm
- Depth
- 0-40 m
- Regions
- Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic
- Distribution
- Shallow tropical reefs worldwide
- Habitat
- Burrows in reef sand
- Diet
- Detritus and small invertebrates
Easily confused with
BlennyOften has forked fleshy tentacles above the eyes
Boxer CrabEach claw holds a small anemone like a boxing glove
Cone SnailCone-shaped shell patterned like printed clothFun fact
One enlarged claw snaps shut at tremendous speed, creating a supersonic cavitation bubble that stuns prey on the spot. The bang it makes is louder than the call of a whale.
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