Harlequin shrimp

Feeds exclusively on starfish

The harlequin shrimp will only eat one thing – starfish! The shrimp chases and flips over the starfish on its back, dragging it to its lair. Usually, the starfish is still alive when the harlequin shrimp starts feeding on it. The shrimp first feeds on the tube feet on the underside of the arms of the starfish. It can take many days for the shrimp to finish feeding, and for the starfish to die. Sometimes the starfish manages to release its attacked arm, leave it behind and escape.

Smells with its antennae and fights with its claws

The harlequin shrimp lives in the cavities of coral reefs, in shallow and sheltered coastal areas of the sea. The shrimp is nocturnal, and its head has two flat antennae that act as olfactory (smelling) organs when it hunts starfish. It scares away predators by waving its claws violently. The harlequin shrimp grows slowly for a shrimp, but sheds its shell as it grows.

Loyal couples

The harlequin shrimp is one of the few shrimps where the male and female remain together for life. The pair hunt and defend their territory together. The female is larger than the male. The female produces between 100 and 5,000 eggs. After mating, the female keeps the eggs in her abdomen for 2 to 5 weeks. The eggs are then laid, and hatch into larvae after about 10 days.