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PistolShrimpALPHEUS HETEROCHAELIS

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I am no bigger than your finger.

One of my two claws functions just like a handgun and other shrimp are targets.

My claw snaps shut so fast, it fires a bubble bullet-up to 62 miles an hour.

The bubble bursts and stuns the prey.

It all happens in a fraction of a second

3Geographical Range

I live along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America

4Appearance

I can be many colors but I am usually Green

I have one large claw used to snap and one small claw

5Size

I am only 2 inches in length

So I am just about the size of your finger

Our Size Is dependent on species: 2cm – more than 2in

6Unique Physical Features

I have poor eyesight

I am deaf

If my large claw is lost, my small one will grow and replace it

7Diet

I usually live and eat around lagoons and reefs

I eat small crabs, fish, and worms

I Usually eat during daylight hours and then go back to my burrow

8Predators

I am prey to any carnivorous fish larger than me

9Protection

I protect myself from enemies by getting help from another fish

I grow a symbiotic relationship with a goby fish

I usually work well with gobies from the indo-pacific region

The goby is My warning system and finds my food

In turn I give the goby shelter from its own enemies

10Special Adaptations

I have one large claw that I uses to snap

My claw closes so fast that it creates a “bubble”

This bubble shoots through water at 60+ mph

The bubble also reaches over 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit

The bubble implodes and shocks or kills any nearby creature

11Bubbles?!

I shoot a special kind of bubble called a cavitation bubble

Cavitation bubbles were first investigated in 1916 by Lord Rayleigh of the British Royal Navy

Cavitation bubbles can reach 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit

They can also create 14,000 pounds or force per square inch

The bubble only grows to about 1/8 of an inch in size

This happens in one millionth of a second

I am the only natural animal to create cavitation bubbles

I was monitored in 40,000 frames per second to see the bubble collapse

12Endangered or Threatened?

I am not endangered or threatened because my kind reproduces in such a large amount

There are 600 different species worldwide

13Reproduction

Lays eggs that hatch after 28 days

Female molts and the few hours that follows is the only time that they can reproduce

Female and male usually travel in pairs

14Video

http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest-ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp

15Works Cited

Http://www.oceanwideimages.com/marine-common-names.asp

http://www.oceanwideimages.com/species.asp?s=Candy-stripe+Pistol+Shrimp

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1003_SnappingShrimp.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=119929

http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=201

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1085398/Deadly-pistol-shrimp-stuns-prey-sound-loud-Concorde-UK-waters.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/935855.stm

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/26/science/sleuths-solve-case-of-bubble-mistaken-for-a-snapping-shrimp.html

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v413/n6855/full/413477a0.html

http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Alpheus_heterochaelis.htm

http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest-ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp