Tiger Mantis Shrimp

By hiding in sandy burrows, L. maculata strike soft-bodied evasive prey that swim by, such as small fish and malacostracans. In order to create high attack speeds, they have a spring and latch structure at the base of their raptorial appendages that allows them to create a spring-loaded strike. This strike system consists of a four-bar linkage mechanism and a coupled lever. By storing energy in this spring-like system, a faster strike is created than would be possible solely from muscle action.

Prior to attacking prey, L. maculata only peeks its eyes above the entrance to the burrow. As soon as the prey move within striking distance of the burrows, the mantis shrimp lunges out and snares the prey with both of its raptorial appendages.

L. maculata display social monogamy with maternal egg care, meaning the females are the ones taking care of the eggs. Social monogamy is usually attributed to the large and costly effort to construct burrows of these species. These burrows are used for protection, and as a place to hide and wait for prey. In addition, there is a large risk associated with finding mates. L. maculata also displays sexual dimorphism, with males having larger raptorial appendages, although males and females have similar overall body sizes.