Peacock Mantis molt pics...must see! (LOAD)

[Venom SS]

So today my Peacock mantis started discarding the pieces of his molt that he didnt eat from a couple days ago, and he left me a gem of a piece. He left me one of his hammers. This probably doesnt come as a suprise to some of you, but those hammers hold a secret which untill today I was completely unaware of. This is just another awe inspiring fact about these creatures. These things are near perfectly evolved killing machines. In my opinion with their intelligence, adaptability, and lethal versatilty, they are pound for pound one of the most Monster fish on the planet! Check out this series of pics.

1. Typical smasher mantis appendage in its closed position as it would be at rest:

2. Smashing appendage as it would be at partial extension delivering a blow:

3. Heres where it gets interesting. These are more than just hammers! They also unfold again to reveal a nasty little secret:

4. WOW! These guys not only have an unbeleivable punch, they pack a mini version of the spearing type mantis's tools as well! The barbs you see are RAZOR sharp, and that point on the end is as sharp as anything ive ever felt.

5. In this last shot, you can see the groove that the fish catching spines slip into. These blades might explain the "thumb splitter" reputation that these guys get. Yes, they pack a serious punch, but imagine those daggers coming at you at that speed.

 

[mr.reef24]

excellent series

mr.reef24

 

[MyFishEatYourFish]

holy crap! i didn't know they had that either, i'll definitely be more careful when servicing my sump now!
did everyone else know that?
how often do they use it? is it just to fast to notice?
the spears look kinda delicate so i wouldn't be surprised if they are rarely used, anyone know?
nice pics! thanks

 

[poly-nomial]

Whoa!

 

[random fish guy]

Yikes!!!

 

[gt1009]

Just makes me want a mantis even more

 

[Venom SS]

holy crap! i didn't know they had that either, i'll definitely be more careful when servicing my sump now!
did everyone else know that?
how often do they use it? is it just to fast to notice?
the spears look kinda delicate so i wouldn't be surprised if they are rarely used, anyone know?
nice pics! thanks

From observing this guy in action, the strike is faster than my eye can see. I hear the crack but never see the appendage actually move. The barbs are somewhat small, but by no means delicate. That whole assembly is rock solid. The "point" of that spear is about 1/2" long. At the speed ive seen this thing strike, it could tag you two, possibly three times before you even realized you had been stabbed. I have heard of these things giving nasty infections to people that have been struck that dont respond to antibiotics. Possible these things are somewhat venomous as well? Wouldnt surprise me at this point. These things never fail to amaze me.

 

[sixftsam]

Very nice pics and thank you for sharing. Learn something new every day.

 

[Joeee]

These things are incredible, I would of never thought of them having those little razors. I would of never thought that they needed them. Do you know what this actually tells us? They might of actually needed this sometime in their evolutionary history.

Could you get me a closer picture of their joints? I'd love to be able to see how the hammer-razor appendage can move.

 

[FLESHY]

Really pretty. Have wanted one for a long time, unfortunately I havent had the guts to set up another saltwater setup.