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Background The mantis shrimp is properly neither a shrimp nor a terrestrial "mantis," but bears characteristics common to both. It has a shrimplike, segmented abdomen and carapace, swimmerets ("paddling" appendages beneath the abdomen), antennae, and large clawlike appendages, which are formed like jackknives, and which resemble both in action and at rest the appendages of a garden variety praying mantis. It is similarly aggressive in overpowering its prey. The common mantis shrimp usually inhabits the middle- to high-salinity waters of the lower Bay, and grows to a length of 8 to 10 inches. Often called the "shrimp snapper" by watermen and respected for the swift slashing of its claws, which can slice a shrimp or fish in two (and lacerate a hand), the mantis shrimp is also edible and has a reputation for being very tasty. Similar species are considered an important sea food outside the Western Hemisphere. The common mantis has a somewhat flattened, shrimplike body that may
be translucent tinged with pale green, with dark green-outlined segments.
Its stalked eyes are an extraordinary emerald green color and contain
many more photo receptors than the human eye. Its large maxillipeds,
or powerful spearing claws, are used to spear and slice its prey at
high speed. The velocity of this strike is said to In the Bay, mantis shrimp dig burrows with several openings in the soft muddy substrate, and are nocturnal hunters, making them difficult to glimpse. Occasionally one can find molted shells washed up on the beach. They are as likely to frequent deep waters–some species swim to depths of 500 feet–as the Bay's intertidal shallows. They hunt rapaciously for live prey, including crabs, fishes, shrimp and other mantis shrimp. Because they remain in their burrows by day and are considered "shy" creatures–despite their reputation for behaving aggressively–little is known about the life cycle or mating habits of the mantis shrimp that are so familiar to the watermen of the lower Bay.
Mantis photo courtesy: Raymond T. Bauer / Professor of Biology / Research Website: http://www.ucs.usl.edu/~rtb6933 To bookmark this page, please use this URL: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/mantis_shrimp.htm For more information, contact the Chesapeake
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The
mantis shrimp, or Squilla empusa, is not, in fact, a shrimp.
It belongs to the subphylum Crustacea and the class Malacostraca, which
is the largest class of crustaceans, containing more than 20,000 species.
Malacostraca is tremendously diverse and includes both marine and terrestrial
species, including isopods (sowbugs), krill, mantis shrimp, shrimp,
crabs and crayfish. 
be
nearly 10 meters per second, which means that the mantis shrimp can
spear and cut swiftly moving fish as well as slower moving species on
the bottom. (Some species have been known to break double-paned aquarium
glass with a strike of their powerful claws.)
