1. Pistol Shrimp ALPHEUS HETEROCHAELIS 1

2.  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

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

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Video  http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest- ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest- ngs/deadliest-pistol-shrimp 14

15. Works Cited  Http://www.oceanwideimages.com/marine-common-names.asp Http://www.oceanwideimages.com/marine-common-names.asp  http://www.oceanwideimages.com/species.asp?s=Candy-stripe+Pistol+Shrimp http://www.oceanwideimages.com/species.asp?s=Candy-stripe+Pistol+Shrimp  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1003_SnappingShrimp.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1003_SnappingShrimp.html  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=119929 http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=119929  http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=201 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://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://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.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.nature.com/nature/journal/v413/n6855/full/413477a0.html  http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Alpheus_heterochaelis.htm http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Alpheus_heterochaelis.htm  http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest-ngs/deadliest-pistol- shrimp http://video.nationalgeographic.co.in/video/worlds-deadliest-ngs/deadliest-pistol- shrimp 15