The spearing species build their habitat in soft sediments and the smashing species make burrows in hard substrata or coral cavities. The two main categories of mantis shrimp-spearing and smashing-favour different locations for burrowing. Mantis shrimp live in burrows where they spend the majority of their time. Although some live in temperate seas, most species live in tropical and subtropical waters in the Indian and Pacific Oceans between eastern Africa and Hawaii. Unlike most crustaceans, they sometimes hunt, chase, and kill prey. They rarely exit their homes except to feed and relocate, and can be active during the day, nocturnal, or crepuscular (active at twilight), depending on the species. These aggressive and typically solitary sea creatures spend most of their time hiding in rock formations or burrowing intricate passageways in the sea bed. Some mantis shrimp species have specialised calcified 'clubs' that can strike with great power, while others have sharp forelimbs used to seize the prey (hence the term ' mantis' in its common name).Ībout 450 species of mantis shrimp have been discovered worldwide all living species are in the suborder Unipeltata, which arose around 193 million years ago. Ĭalled 'sea locusts' by ancient Assyrians, 'prawn killers' in Australia, and now sometimes referred to as 'thumb splitters'-because of the animal's ability to inflict painful wounds if handled incautiously -mantis shrimp have powerful raptorials that are used to attack and kill prey either by spearing, stunning, or dismembering. However, despite being common, they are poorly understood, as many species spend most of their lives sheltering in burrows and holes. They are among the most important predators in many shallow, tropical and subtropical marine habitats. Varieties range in colour from shades of brown to vivid colours, with more than 450 species of mantis shrimp known. A mantis shrimp's carapace (the hard, thick shell that covers crustaceans and some other species) covers only the rear part of the head and the first four segments of the thorax. Mantis shrimp typically grow to around 10 cm (3.9 in) in length, while a few can reach up to 38 cm (15 in). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 340 million years ago. Mantis shrimp are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (from Ancient Greek στόμα ( stóma) 'mouth', and ποδός ( podós) 'foot').

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