DAVID HO!
Today we shall be discussing David's (and my) favourite crustaceans... the HAMMER SHRIMP. So called because of their unique means of catching their prey- that of HITTING them to DEATH with HAMMERS!
I was very lucky to find out about these marvellous shrimp, I found a David Attenborough (May his liverspots eternally glisten in the vaults of Heaven) special video in the Red Cross shop for a pound. They are in fact not true shrimp, but Stomatopods, and a subspecies of the similarly dangerous Mantis Shrimp. The only big difference here is the Mantis Shrimp has forelegs evolved into spears, while the Hammer Shrimp's legs are evolved into HAMMERS. Which of course is much cooler.
They actually quite beautiful and come in a marvellous range of colours
Here the shrimp is about to HAMMER the cameraman!
The hammers are very powerfull. The shrimp is usually about 6 inches long (but can grow up to 12 inches), and captive shrimp are documented to instantly smash though tank glass when agitated. It is nicknamed by divers 'toe splitter' due to its tactic of hiding inside rock cravasses and leaping out to hammer anything that moves near its home. Normally its prey will be large crabs, which it leaps upon, hammers off its legs to prevent escape, then drags the poor soul into into its lair to be slowly digested.
Hammer shrimp are solitary. On encountering another shimp in its crevace, the shrimp curls up and invades the hole using its armoured tail as a riot shield. The defender hammers away until it is exhausted, then the invader goes on the offensive, hammering the resident out of the hole.
The mating ritual of the shrimp is most interesting. The male chases the female around bugging her until she gives in and agrees to go into the male's crevace. The pair indulge in multi-limbed stomatopod pleasures, then the famale turns nasty and attacks the male. Sometimes the male even is forced HAMMER a new exit before the female HAMMERS him to DEATH!
If you would like to keep a Hammer Shrimp as a pet, there is a handy guide here.
And as always, here is the customary cute picture of a baby Hammer shrimp:
You can see the little hammers allready!
And this one is even iccler!
I was very lucky to find out about these marvellous shrimp, I found a David Attenborough (May his liverspots eternally glisten in the vaults of Heaven) special video in the Red Cross shop for a pound. They are in fact not true shrimp, but Stomatopods, and a subspecies of the similarly dangerous Mantis Shrimp. The only big difference here is the Mantis Shrimp has forelegs evolved into spears, while the Hammer Shrimp's legs are evolved into HAMMERS. Which of course is much cooler.
They actually quite beautiful and come in a marvellous range of colours
Here the shrimp is about to HAMMER the cameraman!
The hammers are very powerfull. The shrimp is usually about 6 inches long (but can grow up to 12 inches), and captive shrimp are documented to instantly smash though tank glass when agitated. It is nicknamed by divers 'toe splitter' due to its tactic of hiding inside rock cravasses and leaping out to hammer anything that moves near its home. Normally its prey will be large crabs, which it leaps upon, hammers off its legs to prevent escape, then drags the poor soul into into its lair to be slowly digested.
Hammer shrimp are solitary. On encountering another shimp in its crevace, the shrimp curls up and invades the hole using its armoured tail as a riot shield. The defender hammers away until it is exhausted, then the invader goes on the offensive, hammering the resident out of the hole.
The mating ritual of the shrimp is most interesting. The male chases the female around bugging her until she gives in and agrees to go into the male's crevace. The pair indulge in multi-limbed stomatopod pleasures, then the famale turns nasty and attacks the male. Sometimes the male even is forced HAMMER a new exit before the female HAMMERS him to DEATH!
If you would like to keep a Hammer Shrimp as a pet, there is a handy guide here.
And as always, here is the customary cute picture of a baby Hammer shrimp:
You can see the little hammers allready!
And this one is even iccler!