are pistol shrimps really as blind as researchers say they are?

[this1fish]

after observing my pistol shrimp pair for the past month and a half. I've noticed that the pistol shrimp, even without the aid of my goby will react to me even if i'm 10ft away from my tank. As soon as my image is within that range, it stops what ever it's doing and retreats to it's burrow. It's antenna is no where on the goby and the goby has not signal it to retreat. Sometimes the shrimp even sees me before the goby so it makes me wonder. It will only work in my presence if it's antenna is on the goby and the goby is calm. It's always the first to retreat(without seeing the goby signal it to run) but if the goby stays out, it comes back out and works in front of me.

[johnnyb]

what he lacks in sight he makes up with his other senses. he probably heard or felt the vibration of you moving.

[nicDH]

I also have a pistol shrimp and goby pair. I know what you mean, and like johnny said, he makes up with other senses. Plus, you have to think about how well-lit the area is - if your tank lights and room lights are on, your a lot bigger than him, he won't miss you. In the ocean, they are all the way on the bottom, where its dark, and where large, equally dark colored fish can swim by. Thats my hypothesis.

[this1fish]

I did question his other senses but i have tested, i wave my hands from a distance and that makes no vibration. He responds to it too and retreats. the goby remains out and calm. my room lights are always off being the tank makes enough to kinda light up my room so it's not too dark. my window shades cover my window due to my A/C so it's pretty dark in my room aside from the light. I'm basically a shadow to him.

[FLcracker94]

They might have some sense of sight. I think their considered blind, because their allways in the cave, digging away. If the shrimp is out, it may be able to see, and doesn't need the goby.

 

So really, I think they're consider blind, because they rely on the goby for sight, but thats when the shrimp isn't even looking out into the tank.

just my 0.02

 

sorry if its a bit confusing

[this1fish]

without the goby the shrimp is never out. It stays in it's burrow all day like it's blind and can't see a thing. With the goby the shrimp is more confident for being out. I think the goby has decent eye sight but it needs the goby as a set of 2nd eyes because sometimes it may be too busy working on it's burrow that it has forgotten about the outside world and the goby is it's look out. Probably not as blind as people say but it just needs a look out. Maybe it's not blind but just near sighted.

[flricordia]

I have a Caribbean pistol shrimp and I know beyond a doubt it can see. I also leave my room lights out lighted from the tank onlyand the shrimp can spot me when I move around in front of the tank. It has associated me with food, and though it gets fed only a small morsel each day, it comes to the front of its opening when it sees me, waiting for a hand-out. Whenever I can get away with it I am barefoot, or at the very least wear sandels, and the house is on a slab so it is difficult to believe it is sensing vibrations from moving across the room and the loud TV/stereo right next to the tank would confuse it if this were the case.

Unrelated, but the cottonmouth snake (Agkistrodon sp.) is also believed to have poor eyesight, though this is a not true. I have studied this snake for many years as conanti sp. is found in great numbers where I live and I know beyond a doubt that they can see as far away as 20 yards. That is niether here nor there as relating to the pistol shrimp, just saying you can't always believe what you read and even professional researchers can get it wrong at times.

[this1fish]

Yeah, that just goes to show that sometimes they can make mistakes but i'm not gonna go fighting against science that it can see when it's stated everywhere on the net that they cant' see. I think those that have raised them would think twice.

[manowar669]

My pistol shrimp reacts the same way, then I read that they were supposedly blind, and I thought maybe only some species were blind, because this one isn't.

[this1fish]

the species that are blind are supposally those that pair up with fish which is quite alot of them.

[anonymity]

The shrimp lobster is also known to pair up with the goby although it is not blind and does not need to keep keep in contact with its antennae

[this1fish]

well, these are pistols we're talking about, not the shrimp lobster. I have read on and more researchers are starting to believe that the shrimp isnt' all that blind at all so we may see changes soon.