Ever see a Mantis shrimp before?

[80in55]

Here is mine! I love the guy... I just fed him Krill, and this is how he acts everyday! He absolutley loves the stuff!
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g75/CHorwarth/th_DSCN0356.jpg (http://s53.photobucket.com/albums/g75/CHorwarth/?action=view&current=DSCN0356.flv)

[AmberC]

Wow that thing is huge! Very cool! Thanks for sharing :D

Amber

[Timbo]

i had one in my reef tank that came in on some live rock. took almost a month to get it out. those things can injure!

maybe a good pet, dont know...just keep your fingers outa range!

[80in55]

I love mine like a dog! He is awesome! His name is Walter, and I make sure to keep my hands out of his way when doing cleaning and moving corals around

[Ed13]

No direspect, but I like them like I llike a cold!!!

[80in55]

No direspect, but I like them like I llike a cold!!!
Hahaha!! None taken! It's all a matter of opinion! I paid $60 for this guy, and have been loving him ever since. He eats almost better than I do!!

[wolfbane]

I have never seen one of those before. Kinda creepy, but intriguing.

[Tony_S]

...just keep your fingers outa range!

Check this one out....this species can get up to 40 cm almost 16 inches!!

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/species.php?name=l_maculata

Tony

[80in55]

Hey Tony, my friend has one! I know all about them, and the L. Maculata is a georgous creature, but it doesnt leave the burrow! It needs a burrow that is 1.5 times it's body length, so it needs a sand be that is nearly 3 feet deep in order to keep it! They are very intriguing animals, and if you have the depth of sand to keep him, that's awesome! Feed it some damsels and film it in slow motion so you can actually see how his raptorial appendges work! The Maculata has been known to spear hands, and make severe cuts. And these cuts can become amputations due to the fact that the Mantids carry an unknown bacteria on their appendages. This being introduced to the human body is very bad, and can spread very fast, and be deadly to the person that is infected. It doesnt always come to this, but it has happened before! If you want to keep a separer, I recommend the P. Ciliata, http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/species.php?name=p_ciliata, which is a very active creature, and very fun to watch!!

[Tony_S]

very fun to watch!!

I bet they're tasty too! :D

Tony ;)

[80in55]

From my understanding, they are a delicacy in Asian cuisine! You may be able to go to the asian markets, and find a mantis there, complete with shell and all! You would cook them just like a lobster, and really only eat the tail portion.

[nacra99]

I bet they're tasty too! :D

Tony ;)

Actually... they are quite tasty ;)
I get them quite a bit in my crab traps when i used to live in Singapore. They go very well when fried with chilli paste =)

I still think that they look strange... very creepy....

Cheers
Marc

[Ed13]

Actually... they are quite tasty ;)
I get them quite a bit in my crab traps when i used to live in Singapore. They go very well when fried with chilli paste =)

I still think that they look strange... very creepy....

Cheers
Marc

DO they taste like chicken?:D :D :D

[CAGE-RATTLER]

Wrapped in bacon on the barby :D

[Rod]

I've fed them to my discus and they liked them, they are very cheap to buy at the seafood store when in season. Tougher to peal than shrimps though :D Very beautiful animals as well.

[diskboy]

OMG!!!!!!! that things is so freaky. its like a centapede and a shrimp combined. i've only seen pictures of the heads of them NOT THE WHOLE THING. god when i start up my reef tank i dont ant them in it ill tell you that right now. its cool but not my cup of tea. :)

[Ed13]

I've fed them to my discus and they liked them, they are very cheap to buy at the seafood store when in season. Tougher to peal than shrimps though :D Very beautiful animals as well.

For real! poor guys this has got to be the equivalent of us dining on a martian!
Don't get me wrong I like them in the wild just not in my tanks dining on my hermits and other crabs. Kind of scary when setting up reef tanks or maintaining them!
On the west side on the island when I was !4 I remember seeing my first mantis shrimp. It was cruising along the beach hunting I even followed it to its burrow, not hard to miss a foot long millipede swimming very fast and full of wonderful colors!

[Jeckel]

I'm now on a snorkeling vacation in Bonaire, and I saw one crawling around on the rocks near the shoreline yesterday.

Jerry

[80in55]

I'm now on a snorkeling vacation in Bonaire, and I saw one crawling around on the rocks near the shoreline yesterday.

Jerry
Now that is sweet!! I would love to see one in the wild!! Esepcailly where you are at! Probably georgous down there right now!

[Timbo]

Probably georgous down there right now!

Bonaire is always gorgeous, especially below the waterline!