Mantis Shrimp - Colourful and Aggressive

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Mantis Shrimp - Colourful and Aggressive
Australian Museum

Points covered:
* What are mantis shrimps?
* What are the different types of mantis shrimp?
* Where do they live?
* What is their role in ecosystems?

Words to know:
* RAPTORIAL CLAWS - limbs adapted for catching prey.
* BINOCULAR VISION - using two eyes to judge distance ahead.
* BIOINDICATORS - organisms whose presence, absence or physical appearance can indicate the state of the environment.
* SPECIAL RICHNESS - the number of species in a habitat or ecosystem.
* INDO-WEST PACIFIC - the region that includes the Indian and Pacific Oceans between eastern Africa and Hawaii.

Mantis shrimps are highly aggressive crustaceans that capture prey using large, raptorial claws much like that of a praying mantis. Many are beautifully coloured in shades of red, green and blue. The ancient Assyrians called the mantis shrimps 'sea locusts'. Today, mantis shrimps are called 'shako', 'prawn killers' and 'thumb splitters'.

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