SHRIMP

There are more than 30000 known species of crustaceans - shrimps, lobsters and crabs - in the sea and these are divided into various classes and groups. This is one of the world's most complex marine families so it's members are often misnamed and confused.

Shrimps generally belong to the order Decapoda. They are small and mostly nocturnal with ten legs, a semi-transparent body flattened from side to side and a flexible abdomen terminating in a fan shaped tail.

Their small size and infinite variety of colours and body patterns allows them to blend into all sorts of discrete reef hidey-holes. Whip corals, sea urchins and anemones are excellent places to look for them.

Mantis shrimps, however, belong to the order Stomatapoda and are characterized by their large raptorial appendages that are tucked beneath their heads. These are used as weapons that can strike a prey in three miliseconds and with a huge amount of power. Hence the two common varieties of mantis get nick-naked thumbcrackers and spear chuckers. Be warned!

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