Feeding Time for Green Mantis Shrimp

Young green mantis shrimp (Geonodactylaceus sp.) takes a piece of krill from long tweezers. Note the loud clicking noises as he violently whacks the tweezers with his claw in an attempt to take the food. This is why I do not feed him by hand. They are commonly known in the aquarium trade as "Thumb-splitters!" We named this one 'Monty'. He is currently about 2 inches long, was about three quarters of an inch when we originally acquired him by accident with a load of aquacultured live rock at my workplace. They are normally a pest organism in reef tanks but we didn't have the heart to euthanize him so we set up a mini-reef just for him. They are some of the most intelligent invertebrates in the ocean and they have the most complex eyes of all creatures, with the ability to see colors far outside the range of most mammals. Oh yeah, that's my coworker you hear calling me a dork in the beginning (she thinks it's abnormal that I am actually taking a video of this).

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• green
• mantis
• shrimp
• monty
• geonodactylaceus
• aquatic
• aquarium
• reef
• invertebrate
• crustacean
• aggressive
• feeding

[SpAwNTRiAD]

they got these things at my LFS for 10 bucks a piece... i was thinking about getting one and putting it in my fuge on my reef tank :D i actually want a peacock mantis but having a glass tank... i dont want to chance it breaking it and i know that green mantis max out at 4" and dont have the power to break glass! :D :D :D i just love a stomatopod!

[nonsequitur1979]

That's not a bad deal. These little guys don't pose much of a danger of glass breakage.

[spineosaur]

how big of a tank do these guys need?

[nonsequitur1979]

@spineosaur Depends on the species.

[shadow7989]

looks like you've got some majano, but the mantis doesnt seem to care!!!

[nonsequitur1979]

@shadow7989 Naw, I like the majanos in a small, controlled environment like this but they can wreak havoc in a huge, carefully decorated reef.

[marc23674]

I loled at the shotgun comment

[taintedeyez]

@MrBeaste LMAO similar to the force of a shotgun. So basically what your sayin is a 250 pound man could be knocked to the floor and his entire hand and parts of hit arm blown off from coming into physical contact witht he Mantis Shrimp. COOL! They must be like the Chuck Norrises of the sea.

[7mikethebike]

how lomg does one of these creatures usually live?

[kikishhll]

where can u buy green mantis shrimp?

[ObviouslySancho]

Hey do these need to dig into sand like peacock mantis shrimp or do they only have to have coral like you do?

[malebytch]

Nice color

[redw22]

you have alot of aiptasias

[ThundergodxRaiden]

@x3senoritobonitox313

Actually, your turtle would probably lose his eyes. Mantis shrimp, unlike their namesake, actually have *very* sharp forelegs; strong enough to cut your finger open if you try grabbing one.

[AsymptoteInverse]

Wow. That thing is beautiful!

[Fractalisalpha]

omg he is so bright

he looks like a lime jellybean!

[x3senoritobonitox313]

my turtle would kick his ass