L sulcata closing burrow.AVI

A couple of minutes after catching a fish and taking it down its burrow, a Lysiosquillina sulcata male returns to repair and close the cap on its burrow. Using mucus which it mixes with sand, the animal kneads the mixture into a flexible membrane covering the opening. The first maxillipeds press from above and the third, fourth and fifth maxillipeds push up from the bottom. The stomatopod turns every few seconds to add material to the inside of the lip. You can also see it using its antennules to brush away tell tale marks that might identify the cap. The entire process taks about 10 minutes.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Stomatopod
• mantis shrimp
• burrow
• construction

[dana42078]

Awsome! Thats so cool!

[LeafDHNine]

Too cool! :) (- MantisO_o)

[ZOMGitzIKID]

The camera shaking at the end makes it look like he caused an earthquake. xD