Death Shrimp99
Member
What animals can kill a Mantis Shrimp for the exeption of when its molting?
Mantis Killers
- Thread starter Death Shrimp99
- Start date
I CAN! EASILY!
it depends on the size of the mantis and where it is i suppose!
a little one could probably be killed by:
octopus
large crabs
larger mantis
big fish
a large one would be harder to knock off but the above could probably do it but the would need to be larger and probably catch the mantis of guard! (which is hard to do!)
if a mantis is stuck out in the open its probably 50/50, also i think mantis would be pretty hard to kill when its stuck in its burrow with his raptorial smashers blocking the entrance to his burrow! (mine does this and i wouldnt want to be another animal trying to get in ouch!)
it depends on the size of the mantis and where it is i suppose!
a little one could probably be killed by:
octopus
large crabs
larger mantis
big fish
a large one would be harder to knock off but the above could probably do it but the would need to be larger and probably catch the mantis of guard! (which is hard to do!)
if a mantis is stuck out in the open its probably 50/50, also i think mantis would be pretty hard to kill when its stuck in its burrow with his raptorial smashers blocking the entrance to his burrow! (mine does this and i wouldnt want to be another animal trying to get in ouch!)
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Gonodactylus
Premium Member
All things are relative. If you were to put a smashing stomatopod head to head with another animal it's weight, there aren't too many animals that could do one in. Certainly some octopus such as Hapalochlaena (blue-rings) and some other pygmy species, textile cones, a few fish such as some of the nastier triggers, etc. I have even seen them done in by some anemones. Once you start talking about predators three or four times the size of a stomatopod, its a jungle out there. There are many fish that seem to specialize on them (puffers, triggers, etc.) and some cuttles that do a lot of feeding on spearers that live in the sand. In times of food shortage, even sea lions have been reported specializing on stomatopods in the Galapagos. I should also point out that there are some stomatopods that frequently feed on other stomaotpods. I have often seen large (4 inche) Pseudosquilla ciliata carrying back to their burrows smaller Gonodactylaceus and Echinosquilla will kill and eat Odontodactylus brevirostris.
Roy
Roy
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
I just remembered one of my first attempts to film predation by an octopus on a stomatopod. Several years ago I collected my very first blue-ring and decided that it would make a great picture if I could get a shot of it capturing and killing a dramatically colored gonodactylid. I selected for my sacraficial stomatopod a brightly colored G. smithii that was just a bit smaller than the blue-ring. I put the blue-ring in a piece of coralline algae that allowed it to curl up, but not really hide, and introduced the stomatopod. I excected the blue-ring to flash its colorful rings, dart out and grab the stomatopod and finish it off with a deadly bite while I captured it all on film. Wrong. The stomatopod took one look at the octopus, lunged at it and stabbed it right between the eyes killing it instantly. Normally a G. smithii would strike with a closed dactyl smashing the opponent, but if they are attacking something soft like an octopus or your finger, they will extend the dactyl and stab. This was probably the only way the stomatopod could have killed the octopus. Since then, I have staged lots of fights between blue-rings and various stomatopods and if they are close in size, the octopus usually wins - but not always.
Roy
Roy
my 1 1/2" mantis has been trying to take shots at my large clownfish it currently lives with!
the fish is almost 3 or 4 times its size but its willing to take him on.
the fish will be relocated to my girlfreinds up and coming sw tank.
i dont want to waste a clown fish as a mantis meal.
the fish is almost 3 or 4 times its size but its willing to take him on.
the fish will be relocated to my girlfreinds up and coming sw tank.
i dont want to waste a clown fish as a mantis meal.
im guessing he has probably only done a test on octopus as he is the professor at berkely who studies mostly octopus (blue ring i beleive) and stomatopods.
i hope im wrong and dr roy caldwell ( aka. Gonodactylus
) has more such battle strories up his sleeve.
i know my mantis had a epic battle with a dead frozen prawn and........well! he totally destroyed the prawn and proceeded to devour it!
im glad to own an animal that is probably pound for pound one of the toughest and fastest animals in the world.
i hope im wrong and dr roy caldwell ( aka. Gonodactylus
) has more such battle strories up his sleeve.
i know my mantis had a epic battle with a dead frozen prawn and........well! he totally destroyed the prawn and proceeded to devour it!
im glad to own an animal that is probably pound for pound one of the toughest and fastest animals in the world.
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Generally, we stage contests between stomatopods to study their communication systems. However, over the years I have stages a few contests between stomatopods and other competitors for cavities. These included snapping shrimp, various crabs, blennies and gobies and octopus. In the next year or two we are planning a series of studies to formally study what types of information are communicated among these competitors.
If you are interested in video of stomatopod interactions, there are several programs that contain such footage. In 1985 I consulted with the BBC on a film called "Fastest Claw in the West". It was part of a Attenborough series called Wildlife on One. We filmed mostly in Hawaii and you can see interactions with an octopus, a slipper lobsters, a box crab, etc. Actually, we cheated a bit and used an O. scyllarus male as the star. I took him to Hawaii (with great difficulty getting the import permits). The best shots are of this beast taking out both a slipper lobster and a box crab bigger than he was.
A few years ago, National Geographic bought the footage from BBC and recut the film. It isn't nearly as good, but it still airs occasionally. People often write me asking where they can get a copy of "Fastest Claw". I don't know. BBC did release it a few years ago with "Aliens from Inner Space", a great cephalopod film, and if you search for "Fastest Claw" on the internet, occasionally you will find a listing for the combined video. However, it is out of print.
I also consulted on "Trials of Life", a multi-part series that is available. Episode 8, "Fighting", has some good stomatopod footage.
I am currently discussing a new project with BBC for another film on stomatopods to be shot in Indonesia. There is already footage of a stomatopod attacking the now famous "wonderpus" and we would feature a lot of action by O. scyllarus, O. latirostris, and G. chiragra along with some neat Lysiosquilla (the red one that keeps showing up in photo galleries - yet to be described.). I'll certainly let you know if this project goes forward.
If you are interested in video of stomatopod interactions, there are several programs that contain such footage. In 1985 I consulted with the BBC on a film called "Fastest Claw in the West". It was part of a Attenborough series called Wildlife on One. We filmed mostly in Hawaii and you can see interactions with an octopus, a slipper lobsters, a box crab, etc. Actually, we cheated a bit and used an O. scyllarus male as the star. I took him to Hawaii (with great difficulty getting the import permits). The best shots are of this beast taking out both a slipper lobster and a box crab bigger than he was.
A few years ago, National Geographic bought the footage from BBC and recut the film. It isn't nearly as good, but it still airs occasionally. People often write me asking where they can get a copy of "Fastest Claw". I don't know. BBC did release it a few years ago with "Aliens from Inner Space", a great cephalopod film, and if you search for "Fastest Claw" on the internet, occasionally you will find a listing for the combined video. However, it is out of print.
I also consulted on "Trials of Life", a multi-part series that is available. Episode 8, "Fighting", has some good stomatopod footage.
I am currently discussing a new project with BBC for another film on stomatopods to be shot in Indonesia. There is already footage of a stomatopod attacking the now famous "wonderpus" and we would feature a lot of action by O. scyllarus, O. latirostris, and G. chiragra along with some neat Lysiosquilla (the red one that keeps showing up in photo galleries - yet to be described.). I'll certainly let you know if this project goes forward.
Death Shrimp99
Member
Do you have the film of the Mantis killing the Octo? If you do can you send me it. vtober@home.com
