Islandoftiki Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 After seeing these videos, I do not think I would be able to let her go. Never seen a mantis shrimp so tame. I'm still catching up on your thread, but why can't you bring her with you. Are you moving cross country? We're moving to Hawaii. She's not an endemic species in Hawaii and therefore illegal to bring there. They're extremely sensitive about that sort of thing. Even Dr. Roy Caldwell had a difficult time bringing a, O. scyllarus mantis to Hawaii for research purposes. He could only bring a male and they were very careful to make sure he took it back with him when he left. If it were legal, we'd find a way to ship her there. Hopefully when we get settled down in Hawaii and I get my tanks back up and running I'll be able to find an O. Brevirostris and a P. ciliata. 2 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 So sorry to hear that you have to find a new home for Betty, definitely the most tame Mantis I have ever seen. 1 Quote Link to comment
Egginis Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 We're moving to Hawaii. She's not an endemic species in Hawaii and therefore illegal to bring there. They're extremely sensitive about that sort of thing. Even Dr. Roy Caldwell had a difficult time bringing a, O. scyllarus mantis to Hawaii for research purposes. He could only bring a male and they were very careful to make sure he took it back with him when he left. If it were legal, we'd find a way to ship her there. Hopefully when we get settled down in Hawaii and I get my tanks back up and running I'll be able to find an O. Brevirostris and a P. ciliata. Thanks for sharing and that's a real bummer. Was at my LFS yesterday afternoon and they had the same species of mantis shrimp. Was inspired to purchase it after watching you video. Unfortunately, this mantis struck the feeding tongs with tremendous force and the owner said that it is capable of slicing fingers straight to the bone. None of the employees would dare try what I told them you guys did in the video. Props to you. After what I saw yesterday and read about Mantis shrimp online, I do not think i have the courage to try. Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Thanks for sharing and that's a real bummer. Was at my LFS yesterday afternoon and they had the same species of mantis shrimp. Was inspired to purchase it after watching you video. Unfortunately, this mantis struck the feeding tongs with tremendous force and the owner said that it is capable of slicing fingers straight to the bone. None of the employees would dare try what I told them you guys did in the video. Props to you. After what I saw yesterday and read about Mantis shrimp online, I do not think i have the courage to try. You purchased a mantis? thread pls! 1 Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 Thanks for sharing and that's a real bummer. Was at my LFS yesterday afternoon and they had the same species of mantis shrimp. Was inspired to purchase it after watching you video. Unfortunately, this mantis struck the feeding tongs with tremendous force and the owner said that it is capable of slicing fingers straight to the bone. None of the employees would dare try what I told them you guys did in the video. Props to you. After what I saw yesterday and read about Mantis shrimp online, I do not think i have the courage to try. It's too bad that there are so many misconceptions about mantis shrimp based on sensationalized media. Having owned three of them, I have to say that most of what you read is really over the top and exaggerated, sometimes to the extreme. That's not to say that I would immediately go sticking my hand in the face of any mantis shrimp I came across. I do respect that they can hurt you, and they will do their best if they feel threatened or scared. They're much more timid than most people realize. They are exceedingly intelligent and they're also trainable. That's how we know how good their vision is; they taught them to do specific tasks based on visual stimulation. You certainly need to treat them with respect, but certainly not fear. 2 Quote Link to comment
Egginis Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 It's too bad that there are so many misconceptions about mantis shrimp based on sensationalized media. Having owned three of them, I have to say that most of what you read is really over the top and exaggerated, sometimes to the extreme. That's not to say that I would immediately go sticking my hand in the face of any mantis shrimp I came across. I do respect that they can hurt you, and they will do their best if they feel threatened or scared. They're much more timid than most people realize. They are exceedingly intelligent and they're also trainable. That's how we know how good their vision is; they taught them to do specific tasks based on visual stimulation. You certainly need to treat them with respect, but certainly not fear. I certainly respect your opinion having owned and trained mantis shrimp. I am not much of an expert on the subject but do understand that with patience and care, animals like the mantis shrimp, orca/killer whale, and pit bull to name a few can all be trained to be gentle and loving. I have not spent enough time researching mantis shrimp behavior and only posted off of what limited information I read and was told. I The articles were from reputable sources and organizations. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, good and bad. I think I might still need to wear a steel glove to try what you did Best of luck on your impending move and look forward to keeping in touch on nano reef. I'm sure you will find a whole new set of reef goodies where you are moving too Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share Posted August 27, 2014 I'm sure you will find a whole new set of reef goodies where you are moving too Yes indeed. More mantis shrimp! Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 So, if you thought the last video was cute, this one will melt your heart. Tiki, gosh, that was just lovely. Made me cry. Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Tiki, gosh, that was just lovely. Made me cry. yep, I'm not the only one that found that wonderfully happy and sad to watch. 1 Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Tiki, gosh, that was just lovely. Made me cry. Yeah, I'm going to be very sad to have to give her up. My fiance has shed a few tears, too. yep, I'm not the only one that found that wonderfully happy and sad to watch. It certainly is sad, but I'm happy she will be going to someone who is absolutely in love with her. My fiance seems to have a special connection with sea creatures of all sorts: She has had multiple encounters with spinner dolphins. They come right up to you and play with you. Very fun. And after chowing down on a large jellyfish, this little sea turtle swam right up to her mask and just sat there looking into her eyes. And of course, the whole thing with Betty climbing up onto her hand and looking up at her was a really magical and unexpected moment. There will be much much more magic to come when we are living in Hawaii. 3 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 yo dawg, i herd you like mantis shrimp. 3 Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 yo dawg, i herd you like mantis shrimp. Haha, I saw that and opened a thread over on the Reef Central mantis forum since I figured it was fake or an exaggeration. Here's what Dr. Roy Caldwell had to say about it, "Lysiosquilla scabricauda. The photo is probably a fake with the hand and rod well behind the stomatopod. L. scabricauda is reported to get to 275 mm and I have seen large males that may have approached 300 mm, but there is no way this animal is 18 inches even if you include in that estimate the dangling raptorial appendages." Quote Link to comment
Dr.Brain Coral Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 So sad to see Betty go. I wonder if there was any loop holes that you could take her. Quote Link to comment
Dr.Brain Coral Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 I looked into this and I believe Peacock mantis shrimp are endemic to Hawaii. Are animals that are native prohibited? Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 I looked into this and I believe Peacock mantis shrimp are endemic to Hawaii. Are animals that are native prohibited? They're not endemic, but they may very well be there in small numbers. I found a video of an O. scyllarus that said it was taken off the west coast of Hawaii's big island, so there's hope. In their planktonic stage, I'm sure they could travel very far on ocean currents. Quote Link to comment
Dr.Brain Coral Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 I believe they are native to Hawaii. You would have to talk to some one but if its possible you wouldn't have to part with Her. There are permits that you could get that might help. This guy who had a snakehead that the government was going to confiscate and kill is applying for one and all he has to do is use the snakehead to teach people about snakeheads and how they are invasive and such. You could do that since you teach lots of people on here about Mantis shrimp and It might help with Hawaii deciding if they let you take Her. Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 I believe they are native to Hawaii. You would have to talk to some one but if its possible you wouldn't have to part with Her. There are permits that you could get that might help. This guy who had a snakehead that the government was going to confiscate and kill is applying for one and all he has to do is use the snakehead to teach people about snakeheads and how they are invasive and such. You could do that since you teach lots of people on here about Mantis shrimp and It might help with Hawaii deciding if they let you take Her. As far as taking her to Hawaii, it's difficult for even a mantis shrimp researcher such as Dr. Roy Caldwell to bring one to Hawaii temporarily. See this post: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13492963&postcount=5 Quote Link to comment
Dr.Brain Coral Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Oh. Well it was worth a shot to see if it was do able Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 8, 2014 Author Share Posted September 8, 2014 Oh. Well it was worth a shot to see if it was do able Yeah, believe me, if there was a way, we would get her there regardless of cost. 1 Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Coming for her dinner like a runaway freight train! 4 Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Here's a discarded dactyl from her last molt. I used a jewler's loupe and my phone to get some nice close-ups. Notice the wear in the striking surface of the dactyl: Notice in this shot that the upper part of the dactyl has a hairline stress fracture in it! And in it's normal folded state: 5 Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Woah! Neat! If you haven't seen it already, here's a video I took a while back of her telson and uropods after she molted. These are some really amazing structures. 1 Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 Last night, our beautiful and enchanting mantis shrimp, Betty, went to her new home. She waited patiently in her bucket of water while we emptied the tank to movie it. She sat is Pamela's hand for a very long time while we were loading all of the gear into the cars. It was a very sweet and touching goodbye. The tank move went well and we had Betty and Barney set back up in their tank by the end of the evening. We're going to miss her very much. 4 Quote Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 So, that basically brings this tank thread to a close. This is far from the end of my saltwater antics though. Follow along with me on my move to Hawaii and future mantis adventures on this thread: Islandoftiki's Hawaiian Adventure! Quote Link to comment
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