Mantis Shrimp; just another one of God's creatures.

[JustAddWater]

Two weeks ago, while diving the Channel Islands, we came across some mantis shrimp. Nasty little creatures. They can slice through a glove. I've seen them quite before, but each sighting sends the message: STAY OFF THE BOTTOM!!. Fortunately it's not a lesson learned the hard way. Have any of you had an experience with mantis shrimp?

 

[DennisS]

They are tasty, kind of a cross between lobster and shrimp.

I used to shrimp off the bridges in Miami and people would get them in their nets. I would always volunteer to take them off their hands. Surprisingly, most people were glad to get rid of them.

 

[JustAddWater]

They're tasty? How do you deal with their front claws? Do you prep them like regular shrimp?

 

[Juls64]

there was a diving show on the Channel Islands. Good show. Gave me another place to put on my "To Do" list.

 

[CJ's]

I can't believe you are talking about how to prepare and cook Mantis shrimp!
OK, so they have an attitude, but they are very cool creatures who simply don't appreciate anyone sticking their fingers near or into their homes! That's pretty fair in my book.
They are actually pretty shy here in the Cayman Islands but I have been feeding an enormous Mantis shrimp who is now quite prepared to come right of his hole to collect a snack!

Don't try this at home! As Justaddwater will testify they can give you a nasty cut with their "spears".

Can't you just appreciate them underwater rather than on your plate?

CJ.

 

[Noodlefish]

Mantis shrimps (Stomatapoda) are basically split into two types- spearers and smashers. They also have some of the most amazing eyes in the ocean - which contain 16 different types of photoreceptors (12 for colour analysis, compared to our 3 cones), colour filters and many polarisation receptors, making it by far the world's most complex retina. Mantis shrimps can thus see polarized light and 4 colors of UV (ultraviolet) light, and they may also be able to distinguish up to 100,000 colors (compared to the 10,000 seen by human beings).

Personally, I love 'em. And always watch out for them.

I've never been hit by one - but looking at their spears / clubs, you can see why some people call them 'thumb splitters'!

(I've also seen them for sale in fishmongers... :thumbdown

 

[PhotoTJ]

I read where the smashers have the striking velocity of a .22 bullit, (you need a very thick aquarium), and the spearers have severed fingers.

I like seafood, but these guys seem too cool to eat. (Now, lobsters, scallops, and halibut, on the other hand...)

 

[BacardiSpice]

I think they're one of the more interesting critters out there. Seeing slo-mo (*very* slo-mo) footage of them striking is quite awesome.

They're often introduced into marine aquariums with invertebrates through the 'live rock' used to establish a mini- ecosystem within the tank. Strange cracking noises at night are often the first sign that there was a small mantis shrimp accidently introduced that is not so small any more. Once you've got one, it's extremely difficult to extract it. And unless you're specially set up to accomodate one in a home aquarium, it's bad news for anything else in the tank with it.

 

[blackice]

Seen them in the wild and seen them on the tv.

They look very cool in real life, nice colours .. but at as distance seems best.

 

[Inkypoo]

blackice once bubbled...
They look very cool in real life, nice colours .. but at as distance seems best.

They're pretty common in South China Sea and Asian waters
Never hurts to always respect the wonderful life we find in the seas as we explore them!