⌛ Tiny Monsters in the Sea

Some have noticed a plankton explosion underway at the moment -- I've snatched a few photos of little monsters taking advantage !

These are a sort of Mantis Shrimp currently numbering in the TRILLIONS (and I don't use that number lightly). It's obvious from the photo the hook is for catching small fishes currently clouding our visibility.

Mantis Shrimp have the most advanced eye in the animal world. We see in three colors since we have three chemicals. Mantids have TEN of these chemicals as well as two kinds of Polarized Vision. There is so much information streaming into these eyes a separate brain is required for each.

Mantis Shrimp are extremely aggressive, some use their claws as smashing tools with enough power to actually break the aquarium glass. Mantids are considered as intelligent as the octopus and cuttlefish.

Hope you enjoy watching these Little Monsters on your next dive (handlens is a good idea). They are cannibalizing each other at the moment and numbers are crashing as size is increases. For a short while they should be visible before vanishing into a little hole away from prying eyes -- while looking back at the world through the best eyes on the planet.


Cheers,
Nikki, Resident Naturalist at Adventure Dive Shop

 

Cool pics - would suck to wake up step out of bed and get wet feet seing your precious fish on the floor flopping about just because you wanted a mantis in there as well.

 

Great pictures.
Those tiny ones won't cause much damages, though. There are 2 kinds of "aquarium destroying" Mantis Shrimp in the Philippines.

Here in Dumaguete are mainly the Spearing Mantis Shrimps (Lysiosquillidae). They hang around in the sandy slopes of the coastal dives in the Dauin area. They are not too hard to spot if you take your time. whenever you see a 3 - 5 cm vertical hole in the sand, just lay down next to it for a few minutes and the chances are very good that you get a great view of the sand-colored Spearing Mantis.

In the Puerto Galera Area are the Smashing (or Peacock) Mantis more common (Odontodactylidae). They are more colorful and usually hide under small rocks (not like in the sand like the Dumaguete-cousin) and can often be seen a few meters away from their home hunting.

The different common name comes from the shape and style they use their claws.

Anyway, whoever developed the latin names should be shot on the spot ...

cheers

Rhoody

 

Wood you prefer beergrabbingrhoodii instead? :D

 

haha, that would be something like "cervisiaapetitiorhoodii" ... but couldn't be described as a "Tiny" sea-monster