Snapping Shrimp - Synalpheus sp

Small Snapping Shrimp - Synalpheus sp, around 2 cm in size but was not easy to get proper pictures of it as they lives in their host Crinoid. There were a pair of them, the other one probably a male, smaller in size, but was not possible to get a picture of both of them in the same frame. I was very surprised with the result of the picture as during the dive, it was not possible to see the details of the tiny red dots all over the Shrimp. I could only see it was white in colour and the much redder part on the head, particularly the antennae.

Like all Snapping Shrimps, sometimes referred to as Pistol Shrimps from the genus Synalpheus, they have one claw much larger than the other, which they use to 'snap' to stunt their prey! By snapping its enlarged claw shut at rapid speed, the shrimp creates a high-pressure bubble that collapses to produce one of the loudest sounds in the ocean. The sonic blast can reach 210 decibels - far louder than the sound of a gunshot - and is powerful enough to stun or even kill small fish.

For a split-second, the imploding bubble also generates temperatures of 4400 degrees Celsius, which is nearly as hot as the surface of the sun.

Some species of pistol shrimp use their sonic weapon to drill burrows into solid basalt rock.

Check out this video of how the Pistol Shrimp uses its weapon!