Stomatopod Images

Let there be light. Odontodactylus scylarus.
Photograph by Alex Gawura

Let there be light!

Now this is something you do NOT want to try at home. I named this amazing pic "Let there be light" because it reminds me of a painting I once saw showing Man touching finger to finger with God. In fact, the mantis in this pic is eagerly grabbing at a shrimp fed from the hand of its owner. Fortunately for Alex, the mantis shrimp is regrowing its raptorial appendages and is not in any position to demonstrate why stomatopods are sometimes called "thumbsplitters".

This Odontodactylus scyllarus is 14 cm long, and according to the owner, is fairly tame. It lives in a 32 gallon aquarium with 3 fish, another 4 cm mantis, snails, urchins, corals, and a serpentstar. It feeds on squid, krill, frozen cube foods, and shrimp.

Web Site Author: A. Sunjian
Site Created February 3, 1998
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