Peacock Mantis Shrimp

Photo: Jenny · © all rights reserved

Peacock mantis shrimp inhabit burrows in the rubble and sand patches at the base of Inner Arch's limestone formations, their iridescent green and red colouration making them one of the reef's most visually striking residents and a favourite of underwater photographers working in the shallows. They possess the most complex visual system of any known animal — 16 types of photoreceptors compared to three in humans — and can detect polarised light used in the signalling patterns on their shells that are invisible to competitors and predators. As 'smashers,' they use a highly calcified club appendage capable of striking at 23 metres per second to shatter the shells of crabs, snails, and small fish, with strikes powerful enough to break aquarium glass.