Page 179 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

“The two eyes EXTRAORDINARY

of the mantis EYES

shrimp move
MANTIS SHRIMP

and work

independently Mantis shrimp need good eyesight. They smash or
spear their prey with lightning-fast claws so they have
of one another” to be a good judge of distance to get a direct hit and

make a kill. Things could easily become confusing in the
bright and shimmering world of a tropical reef filled with
color and shining surfaces. Some creatures even have
transparent shells, making them more difficult to spot.
But the mantis shrimp’s eyes have so many different
kinds of sensors to cope with these challenges that it
can see everything clearly.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE Up to 14 in (35 cm) long, depending
on the species
• HABITAT Muddy, sandy, and gravelly
ocean floors and coral reefs, in shallow
coastal waters
• LOCATION Worldwide, with more species
in the tropics
• DIET Snails, fish, crabs, and shrimp

STATS AND FACTS

VISION
12 color receptors
Different kinds of eye (mantis shrimp)
sensors can detect
different colors.
0 5 10 15
Mantis shrimps have 3 receptors (human)
four times as many
sensors as humans.
EYE DIAMETER 3 ⁄16– ⁄16 in
11
(0.5–1.75 cm)
in ¼ ½ ¾ 1
ROTATION OF EYES cm 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
90

DEGREES

177