Thread: Insects and Arachnids and the like...

RE Insects and Spiders and the like... Some people might not consider crustaceans as bugs, but they are arthropods. In my eyes, they are the insects and spiders of the sea! And the occasional freshwater habitat as well. I want you all to give a big, warm welcome to the Peacock Mantis Shrimp! The Peacock Mantis Shrimp is quite the creature, both in appearance and action. It has the body shape of a Shrimp, the vivid coloration of a Peacock, and the raptorial claw like forearms of a Praying Mantis. They can be found in the Indo-Pacific from Guam to East Africa and range from 1 to 7 inches in length. They like to dig and reside in U shaped burrows within the loose substrate near corral reefs. One of their most incredible features are their incredibly powerful forearms. Peacock Mantis Shrimp are predatory creatures, and for their size, most formidable hunters indeed. There are two variations of Peacock Mantis Shrimp. First there are the spearers, who skewer pray with sharp barbs lining their forearms. Then there are the smashers, who use their club like forearms to repeatedly smash open the shells of crustaceans and bivalves to eat away at soft tissue underneath. These are their favorite food, second to gastropods No shell No work How hard do they hit? Try the speed of 50 miles per hour and a force created of 200 pounds per punch! This is a equivalent to the impact of the shot of a 22. caliber handgun. I am not kidding folks, these guys are amazing. They can also grow back any of their limbs should they fall off. It doesn't stop there. The Peacock Mantis Shrimp also has vastly superior eyesight, Often exclaimed as the best in all the animal kingdom. For starters, their eyes are attached to mobile stalks and can move independently of each other. They also posses what is called trinocular vision which means they can see just as fine with one eye coveredgone then with both, unlike humans and almost every other mammal. They can also perceive a wide array of colors that most animals can't thanks to their complex eyes. Put simply, we can see three colors, red, blue, yellow, and any combination of that. Peacock Mantis Shrimp however, can see a total of sixteen different colors. I won't go into detail of stuff that neither you or me will quite understand but the midsection of each eye consists of six parallel strips, each containing different light-sensitive cells called photo-receptors. The things they can see that we can't include infrared, ultraviolet, and polarized light. This amazingly versatile animal also commonly finds it's way into aquarium tanks, both in expected and unexpected ways. A good deal of aquarium enthusiasts have gone to the pet store to stock up of various sea life, substrate, suitable water, decorations and other supplies to fill their tanks with, only to wake up the next morning to find all of the tanks inhabitants dead or missing. All but one that is. You see, the coral pet stores sell often comes straight from the ocean and sometimes, with a certain colorful stowaway. Peacock Mantis Shrimps aren't too fond of neighbors, and will readily kill all other occupants of the tank until only he remains. As bad as this sounds, it could turn out even worse. Sometimes, owners will leave the tank unsupervised and come back to find it right out shattered. When the Peacock Mantis Shrimp digging it's burrow and comes across something that isn't easily moved, in this case aquarium glass, it's first instinct is to try and smash through it if he feels his burrow isn't big enough yet. With their strength, a regular old fish tank doesn't stand a chance. As problematic as the above scenarios sound, Peacock Mantis Shrimp's also often find their way into owners tanks, but with welcome arms. That's right, the Peacock Mantis Shrimp by itself makes an excellent pet! The are very intelligent and curious and can even interact with their owners. One way you can do this by sticking a a piece of food on a stick and let your Peacock Mantis Shrimp chase it around playfully. They also spend a fair amount of their time peering out of their lairs at whatever is happening outside the tank and will trace your movements. With their suburb eyesight, I would be willing to bet that they could recognize the face of their keeper. They have a decent lifespan as far as aquatic pets go, being at least 4 years and more depending on how well you care for them. However, speaking of care, you should treat Peacock Mantis Shrimp's a bit differently than other aquarium pets. Firstly, any other inhabitants should be intended as food, since they don't like room mates as mentioned above. Their punch is easily more than enough to break your finger, so don't go sticking your hand in the tank. I heard that a Peacock Mantis Shrimp will hold back a punch on their owner and as amazing as that sounds, I definitely wouldn't try it in person. I really hope that some of this doesn't come off as far fetched due to my love of this fantastic creation of mother nature. I've done an extensive bit of research on these guys, so as far as I know, every bit of this is true. Should you choose to do some research yourself, feel free to post your own findings on the marvel that is the Peacock Mantis Shrimp.