This week in South Lombok, Peacock mantis shrimps have been everywhere and extremely active! Gili Ringgit our most popular island of the 3 to dive around is full of corals, colourful reef fish and now the mantis shrimps.
While conducting an open water course with Matthias from Germany, we must have spotted 7 individual peacock mantis shrimps running about from here to their leaving nothing but sand storms and bad visibility behind them. Luckily we love them so much that they were forgiven almost immediately.
Peacock mantis shrimps are primarily green in colour, with orange legs and Leopard like spots on the anterior carapace, their ability to secircularly polarised light has led to studies to determine if the mechanisms by which their eyes operate can be replicated for use in reading CDs and similar optical information storage devices!!! Truly amazing creatures.
Among this activity we have also had an abundance of trevally, squid, nudibranch, rainbow runners and tiny tiny yellow tail barracudas.
An extremely colourful week here in Sekotong, South Lombok.
I saw my first Peacock Mantis Shrimp while diving with Two Fish in Lembeh! 🙂 You should check out this tribute by the Oatmeal. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp