Xiang Yang thought to himself that this burly female shop owner was quite meticulous and had not forgotten to remind her customers that mantis shrimp were actually somewhat dangerous.
However, Xiang Yang was also an expert in this field. He paid the money with a slight smile to show that he understood it.
The female boss couldn't help but feel angry when she saw that Xiang Yang didn't take her words to heart.
"Mantis shrimp are burrowing shrimps that often dig holes in the sand or mud bottom of shallow seas. They can even dig through rocks on the seabed." The female boss whispered.
Xiang Yang was stunned at first, then he smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what you mean, but I know as much about mantis shrimp as you do."
Mantis shrimp is an extremely ferocious carnivorous animal among stomatopods.
Although mantis shrimp mostly prey on small invertebrates, these animals can produce sounds by rubbing their tail limbs against the ventral surface of the telson or striking with their limbs.
But there is no doubt that the mantis shrimp is ferocious.
Mantis shrimp have very sharp eyesight and are very good at swimming.
Therefore, most of the prey of mantis shrimp are benthic creatures that are not good at swimming, including various shellfish, crabs, sea urchins, etc.
Adult mantis shrimp can easily break the hard outer shell of their prey and enjoy the meat inside.
In addition, some mantis shrimps are very good at ambushing, and their powerful attacks can kill their enemies.
Lobsters covered in calcified armor and crabs passing by quietly on tiptoe are often attacked by mantis shrimps.
Xiang Yang once saw a kind of mantis shrimp with two hammer segments, which could destroy the crab's nervous system with a fierce blow and kill the crab on the spot.
Some mantis shrimps will use the barbed arms under their heads to quickly stab food, which is quite similar to a praying mantis.
There is also a kind of mantis shrimp with palm segments which is even more powerful.
The mantis shrimp with palm segments is lighter in weight, and its protective equipment has evolved to withstand continuous blows. Like the ancient Roman gladiators, they hide behind shields made of curled tails when fighting to avoid enemy attacks.
Mantis shrimp are extremely aggressive and often appear fearless, capable of catching cephalopods that are ten times larger and heavier than their own body.
Even if octopuses and other cephalopods find a crack to hide in, they will think twice before approaching the mantis shrimp's nest.
It is said that the main enemies of mantis shrimp are that they always fight back after being caught in the open air. The struggling mantis shrimp in the hunter's mouth are difficult to swallow, and many are spit out intact.
This intelligent marine creature has a pair of powerful pincers that are so powerful that they can shatter glass and even cut off a human finger when it strikes.
Biologists say the mantis shrimp ranks second in animal attack speed, second only to the mandibles of soldier ants.
Some species of mantis shrimp even have a pair of hammers hidden under their bodies that can strike at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour.
When the mantis shrimp attacks its prey, it can eject the hammer within one ten-thousandth of a second. The impact force of the ejection can reach up to ten meters. The high temperature generated by friction can even cause sparks to appear in the surrounding water.
Mantis shrimp can eat fish, shrimp and shellfish, but fresh small shellfish are preferred.
When breeding mantis shrimp, it is necessary to avoid polluting the water quality. In the wild, it is better to use small pieces of bait, and spread them evenly to facilitate feeding, increase the consumption rate of bait and reduce cannibalism due to fighting for food.
According to the characteristics of mantis shrimps hiding during the day and coming out at night, it is sufficient to feed them once a day in the evening. The amount of feed should be 5% to 20% of the weight of the parent mantis shrimps, and can be increased or decreased appropriately depending on the egg-carrying situation of the parent mantis shrimps, water temperature, weather conditions, bait type and quality, etc.
In the early stage of breeding, the amount of feed can be appropriately increased to provide sufficient nutritional needs for the glandular development of sexual mantis shrimp, and they basically do not eat. Therefore, it is estimated that the amount of feed should be reduced for most mantis shrimp when they are incubating eggs.
In addition, after the mantis shrimp are hatched, they begin to grow and their food intake increases greatly, which also interferes with other mantis shrimps carrying eggs. Therefore, it is best to use a ground trap net to lure them out of the pond.
During the breeding period, pond inspection is a necessary task to check the inlet and outlet conditions, the activity and feeding conditions of mantis shrimp, the water quality, and especially the discharge of larvae. Once the parent mantis shrimp are found to have discharged pseudozoa, the larvae will be collected and put into the nursery pond for seedling breeding.
Of course, the two most difficult steps in breeding mantis shrimp are hatching and training.
The spawning and reproduction of mantis shrimps are very demanding on environmental conditions, especially the bottom, caves and light. If there are no suitable conditions, they will not spawn, or even if they do, they will not hatch. Therefore, soft mud collected from the intertidal zone should be placed at the bottom of the fiberglass cylinder, flattened, and seawater should be added to 30 cm from the mud surface. Soak it in sodium hypochlorite for 24 hours for disinfection, then neutralize and wash it, and make the pH value of the seawater in the cylinder consistent with the filtered seawater, and then cover it with black cloth for later use.
Xiang Yang knows a thing or two about how to cook mantis shrimp. He once saw someone select about 16 broodstock shrimps that were large, lively, and had complete appendages with mature gonads.
After formaldehyde disinfection, place it in the incubation tank.
Mantis shrimps have a strong ability to dig holes. As long as the substrate and environmental conditions are suitable, sexually mature mantis shrimps can complete the task in a very short time. The eggs are between 1.5 and 3 cm in diameter. The mature eggs are round and about 410 to 450 microns in diameter. They are discharged all at once and held in the mouth with the maxillofacial legs and rotated continuously. As long as the egg mass is not broken or not stimulated by the outside world, it will hold it.
It can take from a few hours to a few days. If there are external stimuli such as strong light, fast-flowing water, and large temperature differences in the water, the egg mass will be quickly thrown away. The cleavage of the fertilized eggs of the mantis shrimp is surface cleavage. Under the water temperature of 26-28℃, it will be incubated in running water for about 20 days and cultivated into the larvae of the mantis shrimp, that is, the larvae of the mantis shrimp. "
During this period, the water flow should be controlled to prevent mixing in the tank. The amount of water flowing out should be equal to the amount of water flowing in. The water should be replaced with a 100-mesh silk screen. The dissolved oxygen content in the tank should be greater than 5 mg/L.
The egg laying and hatching into larvae are all completed in the cave with the mother. When the larvae leave the cave and the mother and float in the water, they become metamorphosed mantis shrimp larvae.
It takes 3 to 4 months for the larvae to metamorphose into young mantis shrimp. At this time, the larvae should be separated from the original culture tank.
In addition, the transportation of mantis shrimp is also very difficult.
After purchasing the small mantis shrimp, they should be transported to the nursery as soon as possible and placed in the broodstock pond for temporary cultivation.
Small mantis shrimp can be transported by live water boat transportation, nylon bag oxygenation transportation, dry moisturizing transportation, canvas barrels and other water transportation methods.
Even so, in order to ensure the quality of mantis shrimp and increase the number of eggs, merchants should pay attention to the fact that the mantis shrimp should be out of water for a short time, have good gonad development, have a strong body, complete appendages, no scars, strong vitality, and bright body color when purchasing mantis shrimp.