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Fascinating Facts about Harlequin Shrimp
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Read some fascinating facts about Harlequin Shrimp and how they behave in our oceans in our marine life blogs. We have more informative blog for you to read, click here to for some fascinating facts about Why we dive from a liveaboard.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Harlequin Shrimp - Hymenocera picta
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Harlequin Shrimps are the only species in there genus, and genuinely distinctive with both their shape and colouration. They are found throughout the Indo Pacific area (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia) to Hawaii preferring the warm waters.
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They are white or cream coloured with spots; the location determines the colour of the spots. In the Pacific, they are of red / deep pink with a yellow edge. While in the Indian Ocean they are purple / brown, and they have a blue edge to them. Hawaii has purple and red. They can reach a massive size of 5cm with the females being larger. The females also have coloured abdominal shells rather than the white the males have. The exoskeletons are thinner than many other crustaceans. They have two pincers, two walking legs and large claws that move constantly. On there head they have two sensor antennae\'s which allow them to smell their prey.
They are always found in pairs and are thought to mate for life, they hunt together and defend their territory. A relatively shy shrimp they tend to stay in enclosed dark areas remaining in the same location moving at a slow pace.
They mate shortly after the female shreds her shell with the female producing between 100 and 5,000 eggs. They actively turn and clean the eggs as a couple until they hatch and then are released as lave into the current.
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Diet
Harlequin shrimp exclusively feed on starfish, which include many different varieties such as the crown of thorns. The starfish can be up to 100 times larger than the shrimps in both size and weight.
They work as pairs and find their prey using the sense of smell via the antennules, once found they will turn the starfish over to disable it. They feed on the tube feet and soft tissue starting from the edge working towards the centre. This can take several days, so they take the starfish to the dark recesses where they are kept alive during the process.
In an attempt to survive the starfish sometimes shred the arm that the shrimp attack as it will regrow.
It is thought that the colourful shell could serve as a warning to potential predators as they ingest the toxins from their prey and use them to make themselves taste unpleasant.
Harlequin Shrimps are becoming rarer and suffer significantly as a result of both coral reef damage and the Aquarium trade.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Images were provided by Jerry Arriaga @OurOceanImages[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]