Squilla Empusa
(Shrimp Snapper)

One of the more elusive creatures is the mantis shrimp, which lives in burrows dug into the muddy bottom of the Bay.  Its arm structure is similar to the praying mantis, with jackknife claws for forearms.  The last part of the claw has five or six sharp spines that fold back into the claw, like the blade of a knife.  The body of the mantis shrimp has sharp spines along the edges of the larger segments and three pairs of walking appendages.

     The tail resembles that of a lobster and has a blunt ridge down the middle.  The fanlike gills along the ventral abdomen serve to absorb oxygen as well as to ventilate their burrows.  Retractable spines on the tail serve to anchor the mantis shrimp in its burrow.  The eyes of a mantis shrimp are distinctively bright green and stalked above the head, providing the shrimp with almost 360-degree visibility.

     Mantis shrimp are nocturnal, feeding on snails, shrimp, crabs and fish.  They hunt by lying motionless in their burrows until they see desirable prey, then they lunge out and strike with their sharp claws.  The claws of the mantis shrimp have been well studied and can break a pane of glass with the force of a strike.

These shrimp are considered something of a nuisance by commercial fishers, because one quick snip with their claw can cut a shrimp or fish in two.  They are edible and delicious, but difficult to catch because they are nocturnal and live alone in burrows that are widely spaced apart.  These burrows can be quite complex, with many exits and entrances.

They have fairly nasty temperaments, earning the nickname "split thumb" from fishermen who have been injured trying to remove them from their nets.

These creatures require high levels of dissolved oxygen in the water and will perish quickly in stagnant water or low-oxygen environments.