Download "Skeleton Shrimp Use 18 Appendages to Feed, Fight and ... Frolic | Deep Look"

On first impression, skeleton shrimp anatomy is confusing. These crustaceans use a funky assortment of body parts to move around like inchworms, feed on bits of sea garbage, stage boxing matches, and make lots of clingy babies. SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! https://www.youtube.com/user/kqeddeeplook?sub_confirmation=1 Please join our community on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/deeplook DEEP LOOK is a ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. --- The striking bodies of skeleton shrimp are gangly and ridiculously elongated. These omnivores constantly sieve food particles or small organisms from the water by waving their bodies back and forth, using comb-like filters on their shorter antennae. Most of the time, they are detritivores, helping break down dead organic matter further into nutrients for smaller animals. They also play another important ecological role in the food chain as tasty morsels for fish and crabs. Males are much larger than females and frequently fight other males for access to mates. Each male has two pairs of claws called gnathopods, the larger of which are used to box each other. Gnathopods can be lethal, and can be used to split an opponent in half. Researchers are investigating whether or not some skeleton shrimp species deliver venom in these fights through tiny pores in the tips of the claws. Females sometimes kill the males after mating, using their gnathopods. Females will then aggressively guard their brood pouches, which can contain hundreds of fertilized eggs. Hatchlings resemble miniature adults, and often cling to their parents after hatching. They mature rapidly, molting as often as once every week. Maturity can take a few weeks to months, depending on environmental conditions. --- --- Where do skeleton shrimp live? Skeleton shrimp live only in saltwater, and are found in oceans worldwide, usually near coastlines. --- Are skeleton shrimp invasive species? Some species of skeleton shrimp, like the Japanese skeleton shrimp (Caprella mutica), are considered invasive species in non-native waters, but so far, researchers have not discovered any significant negative (or positive) effect from their presence in the ecosystems they invade. One possible effect could be that an invasive species of skeleton shrimp (if it is larger like the Japanese skeleton shrimp) may displace a smaller native species of skeleton shrimp. --- Do skeleton shrimp camouflage themselves? The tiny, slender, elongated bodies of skeleton shrimp help them blend in with whatever they are grabbing on to – things like algae, seagrass, or hydroids. --- ---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science: https://www.kqed.org/science/1977175/skeleton-shrimp-use-18-appendages-to-feed-fight-and-frolic --- ---+ More great Deep Look episodes: Once a Spawn a Time: Horseshoe Crabs Mob the Beach | Deep Look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYvWssvg1YU For Pacific Mole Crabs It's Dig or Die | Deep Look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfoYD8pAsMw The Snail-Smashing, Fish-Spearing, Eye-Popping Mantis Shrimp | Deep Look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm1ChtK9QDU ---+ Shoutout! 🏆Congratulations🏆 to the following fans on our Deep Look Community Tab for correctly answering our GIF challenge! Mohamad yazeed ---+ Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10+ per month)! Jessica mark tighe Vivek Singh Neil Jeyasingam Kaleb Kuan Ed Gandia Mehdi Mark Jobes Delphine Tseng Nicky O. Jana Brenning Anastasia Grinkevic Allison & Maka Masuda Nathan Jewsbury Wild Turkey Carrie Mukaida Scott Faunce Tianxing Wang Kelly Hong Misia Clive Kevin Judge Cristen Rasmussen Teresa Lavell dane rosseter Josh Kuroda Burt Humburg Caitlin McDonough Blanca Vides Carlos Carrasco Noreen Herrington Kristy Freeman Mary Truland Roberta K Wright Syniurge Aurora Silvan monoirre Leonhardt Wille Louis O'Neill Gerardo Alfaro Titania Juang Kallie Moore Rick Wong Sonia Tanlimco Cindy McGill Nicolette Ray Joshua Murallon Robertson Adam Kurtz El Samuels Laurel Przybylski Supernovabetty Companion Cube Chris B Emrick KW chckncurry Karen Reynolds TierZoo SueEllen McCann David Deshpande Shelley Pearson Cranshaw Daisuke Goto Elizabeth Ann Ditz Levi Cai ---+ About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, Radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by The National Science Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.