Pistol Shrimp ALPHEUS HETEROCHAELIS 1

 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 2

Geographical Range  I live along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America 3

Appearance  I can be many colors but I am usually Green  I have one large claw used to snap and one small claw 4

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 5

Unique Physical Features  I have poor eyesight  I am deaf  If my large claw is lost, my small one will grow and replace it 6

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 7

Predators  I am prey to any carnivorous fish larger than me 8

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 9

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 10

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 11

Endangered or Threatened?  I am not endangered or threatened because my kind reproduces in such a large amount  There are 600 different species worldwide 12

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 13

Video  ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp 14

Works Cited       prey-sound-loud-Concorde-UK-waters.html prey-sound-loud-Concorde-UK-waters.html   for-a-snapping-shrimp.html for-a-snapping-shrimp.html    shrimp shrimp 15