Some Interesting Sea Dwellers

Name: Mantis Shrimp

The Mantis Shrimp is typically found in from the Gulf of Californai north to Point Conception. They are usually found moving about on the open ocean bottom or hiding in burrows in muddy or sandy bottom.
The adults can grow to be 12 inches long.
Mantis shrimp dig large burrows from 3-6 feet deep and 2-3 inches wide. They feed on clams, mussels and worms, the animals leave their burrows infrequently to feed.

Divers have reported hearing low, "groaning" sounds coming from mantis shrimp burrows. They may produce these sounds to attract a mate. The most amazing feature in the mantis shrimp is the "hammer-like" claw it uses to feed. It is folded back underneath its head, forming a collapsed "Z." It is reported to be one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom. The strike has been clocked at four milliseconds. In captivity the mantis shrimp can break aquarium glass.

Name: Orangethroat Pikeblenny

These are typically found on sand and mud bottoms living in dead worm tubes, from the Gulf of California north to Anacapa Islande

Little is known of the biology of the Orangethroat Pikeblenny.

They are typically seen with just their head extending from the parchment-like tube of marine worms. Extremely territorial, they aggressively defend their worm tube and the immediate area. Adults can grow to be 6 inches long. They feed on small crustaceans.

Name: Whitemargin Stargazers

They are found in Fiji, Samoa, and Indonesia to the Red Sea and are typically found buried in the sand or mud with only their eyes showing.

This bizarre type of fish gaze up at the stars (since their eyes point almost directly upwards), they wait buried under the sand for their prey to swim overhead. This is their classic ambush of predators. The little fleshy bumps around their mouths, called cirri, keep out the sand while they are breathing. Stargazers have a "fishing lure" in their mouths. It looks like a yummy worm and catches the attention of their victim. The stargazer blasts out of the sand, making a meal of small fishes.

Adults can grow to more than a foot long.

Read more at: http://www.pbs.org/oceanrealm/seadwellers/index.html