Saw a bunch of them a few days ago while making a bottle dive in Long Island Sound here in NY..They have their homes dug into the soft bottom now getting ready for winter.
Mantis Shrimp
- Thread starter NOVIZWHIZ
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
- Messages
- 5,721
- Reaction score
- 472
-Phoenix-
Registered
I took this one a couple weeks ago ^_^
Unfortunately I lost my flash diffuser and the picture has a shadow from the lens... (no external strobe for this camera)
That is a peacock mantis aka Clown... One of the biggest and most powerful. Hit with the force of a .22 caliber bullet. It is a "smasher"... (there are "smashers" and "spearers")... It could bust open your finger with ease. They are extremely intelligent (like you would be amazed at what these things can do), They have the most advanced eyesight on this planet. The pop when they strike is the cavitation of the water and air so sometimes you will actually here 2 pops. Very, very impressive animal.
I know because I have kept them for many many years
Old post, but you gotta love the Mantis!!!
I know because I have kept them for many many years
Old post, but you gotta love the Mantis!!!
- Messages
- 22,171
- Reaction score
- 2,790
- # of dives
- 5000 - ∞
A prefessor of mine was careless and had his hand damaged for life.
Fina
Registered
Really? I have to admit, I 'volunteered' my finger once (well, I saw another diver do it first). It whacked my finger and made a very loud POP, but it didn't particularly hurt. Probably not a very good idea but it seemed funny and cute at the time.
ba_hiker
Contributor
ba_hiker
Contributor
Karl_H
Contributor
We get lots of these things here in the Philippines, I'm pretty sure all the ones I have seen were Peacock Smashing Mantis Shrimp, but all have tended to stand their ground when you see then then suddenly dart off in a second.
As mentioned they are good to photograph as they tend to stay pretty still for a while, I've got within a few inches with a camera and never had a back incident with one (yet!!!) they look strange when they 'run' off rather than swimming away, like a cross between a centipede and a small lobster.
I have quite a few pics of them but sadly only a few I can access at the moment! Here's a a small one from a recent dives in Anilao, Philippines.
[url=http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/142250]
[/URL]
The bigger they are the easier they are to photograph in general, most are about 6" but sometime to a much bigger!
Karl
As mentioned they are good to photograph as they tend to stay pretty still for a while, I've got within a few inches with a camera and never had a back incident with one (yet
!!!) they look strange when they 'run' off rather than swimming away, like a cross between a centipede and a small lobster.I have quite a few pics of them but sadly only a few I can access at the moment! Here's a a small one from a recent dives in Anilao, Philippines.
[url=http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/142250]
[/URL]The bigger they are the easier they are to photograph in general, most are about 6" but sometime to a much bigger!
Karl
Similar threads
