The Peacock Mantis Shrimp
The Odontodactylus Scyllarus, more colloquially referred to as the peacock mantis shrimp, gets its name from its bright peacock-like coloration, its shrimp-like size, and its mantis-like body structure. The mantis shrimp belongs to the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Arthropoda, the subphylum Crustacea, the class Malacostraca, the order Stomatopoda, the family Odontodactylidae, and the genus Odontodactylus (Wikipedia). This species, the Odontodactylus Scyllarus, belongs to a group of 400 other types of mantis shrimp whose lineage can be traced back using phylogenies 500 million years (Guenther). Typically, the size of a peacock mantis shrimp ranges from three to eighteen inches in length (Wikipedia). Because they live in sub-tropical and tropical
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Its hard-shelled body is full of vibrant colors and its forearms are covered in spots resembling the colors and patterns of a peacock’s tail (The Oatmeal). The peacock mantis shrimp has an exoskeleton and they must molt in order to grow. Every several months the shrimp begins to outgrow its exoskeleton and sheds the entire thing, leaving behind a complete mold of its body. This process can be problematic for the shrimp as their new armor does not harden right away, leaving them exposed to predators and the elements of their environment (Duke …show more content…
They cohabitate with their mate, sharing the same burrow, as well as sharing the responsibilities of protecting their eggs and hunting. They do not leave their home burrow unless they are hunting or forced to move. Being extremely territorial and aggressive animals, they prefer to ambush their prey from their burrows as opposed to going out to hunt. By staying close to their burrows, especially in times when they are molting, peacock mantis shrimp can better avoid their predators which are made up of primarily large fish (Guenther). This species preys on crabs, mollusks, oysters, octopi, and other fish, using dismemberment and bashing as their weapon of choice. The mantis shrimp does not frequent aquariums because it can kill all of the fish in the tank with it, and even if left alone they can still break the aquarium glass
Its hard-shelled body is full of vibrant colors and its forearms are covered in spots resembling the colors and patterns of a peacock’s tail (The Oatmeal). The peacock mantis shrimp has an exoskeleton and they must molt in order to grow. Every several months the shrimp begins to outgrow its exoskeleton and sheds the entire thing, leaving behind a complete mold of its body. This process can be problematic for the shrimp as their new armor does not harden right away, leaving them exposed to predators and the elements of their environment (Duke …show more content…
They cohabitate with their mate, sharing the same burrow, as well as sharing the responsibilities of protecting their eggs and hunting. They do not leave their home burrow unless they are hunting or forced to move. Being extremely territorial and aggressive animals, they prefer to ambush their prey from their burrows as opposed to going out to hunt. By staying close to their burrows, especially in times when they are molting, peacock mantis shrimp can better avoid their predators which are made up of primarily large fish (Guenther). This species preys on crabs, mollusks, oysters, octopi, and other fish, using dismemberment and bashing as their weapon of choice. The mantis shrimp does not frequent aquariums because it can kill all of the fish in the tank with it, and even if left alone they can still break the aquarium glass