Pistol Shrimp ALPHEUS HETEROCHAELIS 1
Feb 24, 2016
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PistolShrimpALPHEUS HETEROCHAELIS
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I am no bigger than your finger. One of my two claws functions just like a handgun and other
shrimp are targets. My claw snaps shut so fast, it fires a bubble bullet-up to 62 miles
an hour. The bubble bursts and stuns the prey. It all happens in a fraction of a second
3Geographical Range
I live along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America
4Appearance
I can be many colors but I am usually Green I have one large claw used to snap and one small claw
5Size
I am only 2 inches in length So I am just about the size of your finger Our Size Is dependent on species: 2cm – more than 2in
6Unique Physical Features
I have poor eyesight I am deaf If my large claw is lost, my small one will grow and replace it
7Diet
I usually live and eat around lagoons and reefs I eat small crabs, fish, and worms I Usually eat during daylight hours and then go back to my
burrow
8Predators
I am prey to any carnivorous fish larger than me
9Protection
I protect myself from enemies by getting help from another fish I grow a symbiotic relationship with a goby fish I usually work well with gobies from the indo-pacific region The goby is My warning system and finds my food In turn I give the goby shelter from its own enemies
10Special Adaptations
I have one large claw that I uses to snap My claw closes so fast that it creates a “bubble” This bubble shoots through water at 60+ mph The bubble also reaches over 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit The bubble implodes and shocks or kills any nearby creature
11Bubbles?!
I shoot a special kind of bubble called a cavitation bubble Cavitation bubbles were first investigated in 1916 by Lord
Rayleigh of the British Royal Navy Cavitation bubbles can reach 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit They can also create 14,000 pounds or force per square inch The bubble only grows to about 1/8 of an inch in size This happens in one millionth of a second I am the only natural animal to create cavitation bubbles I was monitored in 40,000 frames per second to see the bubble
collapse
12Endangered or Threatened?
I am not endangered or threatened because my kind reproduces in such a large amount
There are 600 different species worldwide
13Reproduction
Lays eggs that hatch after 28 days Female molts and the few hours that follows is the only time that
they can reproduce Female and male usually travel in pairs
14Video
http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest-ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp
15Works Cited
Http://www.oceanwideimages.com/marine-common-names.asp http://www.oceanwideimages.com/species.asp?s=Candy-stripe+Pistol+Shrimp http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1003_SnappingShrimp.html http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=119929 http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=201 http://
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1085398/Deadly-pistol-shrimp-stuns-prey-sound-loud-Concorde-UK-waters.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/935855.stm http://
www.nytimes.com/2000/09/26/science/sleuths-solve-case-of-bubble-mistaken-for-a-snapping-shrimp.html
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v413/n6855/full/413477a0.html http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Alpheus_heterochaelis.htm http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest-ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp