I Spy 3 -- More Refinements

Sorry. However I didnt go straight to the source where you got yours. According to the rules I could have used it since you moved the photo to your photobucket account. ;)

Does it generally enter the tank as a hitchhiker?
 
Recap

Riddle: common name.

Clue: It's a crustacean.

Does it have a shell? Decline.

Is it a member of the Clean Up Crew?
No, not typically.

Does it eat fish? No -- 90% certain.

Is it smaller than 1 inch?
Generally, yes.

Does it generally enter the tank as a hitchhiker? No.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14258753#post14258753 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by token
As a "young'un", they lack the tail spine so they "mimic" a dwarf angel... It is speculated that the mimicry gives them an edge until the tail spike forms... It might also allow them to "blend in"

This seems backwards. Wouldn't natural selection more likely dictate that the tail spine was lost because it was no longer necessary for survival? Thus the mimicry came first. By the time it's an adult, the jig is up and the tail spine is needed.

That was a good one tho, I almost fell for it. Subconscious threw back at me just now. :)
 
I don't know what selection would account for.... I don't know how many juvenile tangs lack tail spines. Do most or only a few? Why would the juvenile lack what the adult has? I suspect its about development.

"Blending in" refers to the fact that looking like one of the dwarf angels, damsels are not as likely to pick on them. In that theory, the tail spike is a non-issue.

Mimicry is developed selectively. I don't know that we can ever say, with any surety, why these tangs look as they do as juveniles.
 
Is it a Sexy Anemone Shrimp?

P41262.jpg
 
Recap

Riddle: common name.

Clue: It's a crustacean.

Does it have a shell? Decline.

Is it a member of the Clean Up Crew?
No, not typically.

Does it eat fish? No -- 90% certain.

Is it smaller than 1 inch?
Generally, yes.

Does it generally enter the tank as a hitchhiker? No.

Does it have legs? Yes.

Does it have claws? Yes.

It is not a Sexy shrimp.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14264923#post14264923 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by token
Do we like it for a specific job it does?

It's entertaining. :) But no, not really.
 
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