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They rarely exit their homes except to feed and relocate, and can be active during the day, nocturnal, or crepuscular (active at twilight), depending on the species. These aggressive and typically solitary sea creatures spend most of their time hiding in rock formations or burrowing intricate passageways in the sea bed.
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Ĭalled "sea locusts" by ancient Assyrians, "prawn killers" in Australia, and now sometimes referred to as "thumb splitters"-because of the animal's ability to inflict painful wounds if handled incautiously -mantis shrimps have powerful raptorials that are used to attack and kill prey either by spearing, stunning, or dismembering. However, despite being common, they are poorly understood, as many species spend most of their lives tucked away in burrows and holes. They are among the most important predators in many shallow, tropical and subtropical marine habitats. Varieties range in colour from shades of brown to vivid colours, with more than 450 species of mantis shrimp being known. A mantis shrimp's carapace (the hard, thick shell that covers crustaceans and some other species) covers only the rear part of the head and the first four segments of the thorax. Mantis shrimps typically grow to around 10 cm (3.9 in) in length, while a few can reach up to 38 cm (15 in). Mantis shrimp, or stomatopods, are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda, branching from other members of the class Malacostraca around 340 million years ago.