Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 14
An almost invisible commensal anemone shrimp defends its sea anemone home.
Nearby are anemone shrimp, which defend their homes on pink and
purple sea anemones. It is easy to see the surfaces of the anemones right
through these shrimp, for they seem to be made of oddly shaped bits of glass.
The only clues to the presence of these delicate transparent arthropods are
bright medallions of color that accent their otherwise imperceptible bodies.
If it weren't for their blobs of opaque color and their tiny striped eyes that
fl oat on the ends of transparent stalks, they would be invisible.
Other shrimp are colored and patterned all over. The marbled shrimp are
the last word in understated elegance. One of them slowly inches forward
out of its lair. Its designer-patterned carapace gives it a decidedly upscale air
compared with the roistering crowd of less fashion-conscious creatures that
surround it, though the ef ect is somewhat diluted by the shaggy moustache
of cirri that it uses to ensnare its food.
The local king of the arthropods is undoubtedly a red, green, and blue
shrimp, one of several species of brightly-colored mantis or boxer shrimps
