Pistol shrimps may look like beautiful small helpless crustaceans, but they have a deadly weapon.
All Pistol shrimp have one oversized claw and with one snap of this oversized claw and a loud "pop", a supersonic bubble can be shot at the shrimp's enemy or prey. This bubble, can reach temperatures approaching that of the sun, about 4700 degrees Celsius. In the video below, the amazing skills of the pistol shrimp are displayed.
They are many species of pistol shrimps, all with different colours and patterns as you can see from the shrimp above which is blue and the shrimp below which is orange with purple legs.
They commonly build burrows in the sand and some of them share these homes with some unlikely housemates. Some pistol shrimps like the tiger pistol shrimp and Randall's pistol shrimp, form symbiotic relationships with some species of goby fish. A symbiotic relationship means that both parties benefit from the relationship.
Pistol shrimps are practically blind and they rely on the goby to warn it when danger approaches. The shrimp does this by being in constant physical contact with the goby by resting its antennae on the Goby's body. The goby is always on the look out for danger and any sudden movements from the Goby will be translated as a sign of danger, telling the shrimp to return to its burrow. In return, the goby gets a safe burrow to live in.
If you want to learn more about pistol shrimps, visit these websites:
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aquamarinediscovery.blogspot.com.au/2009/04/pistol-shrimp.html
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piratefx.hubpages.com/hub/pistol-shrimp
Enjoy :)
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