The peacock mantis shrimp, Odontodactylus scyllarus, also known as the harlequin mantis shrimp or painted mantis shrimp is a large mantis shrimp native to the Indo-Pacific from Guam to East Africa. They are burrowers, constructing U-shaped holes in the loose substrate near the bases of coral reefs in water ranging from 3 m to 40 m deep.
This mantis shrimp is a smasher, with club shaped raptorial appendages. An active hunter, it prefers gastropods, crustaceans, and bivalves, and will repeatedly smash its prey until it can gain access to the soft tissue for consumption. Peacocks are popular with aquarists for their bright colors and active behavior, but are definitely not reef safe, as they will eat most other tank occupants. Additionally, large specimens are capable of breaking very thick aquarium glass. It is for these reasons that they are often kept as solitary creatures in acrylic tanks.
Though they are borrowers in the wild, these animals will readily accept a suitably sized length of PVC pipe as a surrogate lair.
They are active, intelligent, curious animals, capable of interacting with their keepers.
Warning: A mantis shrimp (more elegantly known as a stomatopod) can break aquarium glass. When mantis shrimp dig on the seafloor and run into an obstacle, they strike it to try to break it and remove the obstacle. So, typically, when an animal starts digging in an aquarium corner, she encounters glass. This usually leads to their whacking the glass, chipping it, and just causing a leak. A few mantis shrimp though, over the years, have shattered the aquariums. "This usually happens when they attack their reflection or when they try to hit a teasing finger waving at them through the glass."m glass. The Peacock Mantis is listed as a Special Order Item and is not always instock but is always on the list to be collected by suppliers. Please see the Paradise Pet Shop Guarantee . You may experience a wait when ordering this item.
