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Pistol Shrimp. Alpheus Heterochaelis. 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.
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PistolShrimp Alpheus Heterochaelis
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
Geographical Range • I live along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America
Appearance • I can be many colors but I am usually Green • I have one large claw used to snap and one small claw
Size • 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
Unique Physical Features • I have poor eyesight • I am deaf • If my large claw is lost, my small one will grow and replace it
Diet • 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
Predators • I am prey to any carnivorous fish larger than me
Protection • 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
Special 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
Bubbles?! • 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
Endangered or Threatened? • I am not endangered or threatened because my kind reproduces in such a large amount • There are 600 different species worldwide
Reproduction • 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
Video • http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest-ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp
Works 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