![]() Still, you have to admit their feeding habits are the stuff of nightmares.ĭespite their small size, cookiecutter sharks attack much larger prey including seals, large fish, other sharks and even whales. An adult is only 12-17 inches long and they often live deep in the ocean. A cookiecutter shark would not be on the list of most-feared sharks. Sharks inspire a lot of sensationalism and fear, most of it wildly unjustified. ![]() Cookiecutter Shark A close-up of a cookie cutter shark’s mouth.I released the shrimp with my thumbs intact. They are a poor choice for aquariums, as they’ll eat the other inhabitants and many report that they can shatter the aquarium glass to escape.Ī common nickname is “thumb splitter” for what happens when a person carelessly handles one of these animals. Videos show crabs walking into range and being struck dead before even knowing a predator was around. In fact, the mantis’s strike is considered the fastest in the animal kingdom. There are 450 species some have long mantis-like pincers and some have modified “clubs.” Both are used for grabbing and stunning prey with great force. They are carnivorous crustaceans that lie in ambush along the ocean floor. The mantis shrimp is neither a mantis or a shrimp. It also revealed that, in handling this critter, I was very, very lucky. I picked it up and carried it around the pier, showing it to other curious onlookers.Ī consultation with a field guide revealed we had captured a mantis shrimp. It was not even hooked, just clinging tenaciously to the bait. One of the great pleasures of coastal fishing piers is that you never know what you might catch. We were on a fishing pier on Chincoteague Island, Virginia. He began reeling and said it seemed unusual. My fishing rod twitched and I called my young son over. Value these creatures, but you’ll be forgiven if you don’t want to value them at close range. In that spirit, I present a few overlooked creatures that might cause your heart to skip a beat…because of their bites, or their eating habits, or just their eerie calls in the night. And I like to think it imbues me with a bit of humility, to know wild animals can still have that impact. Still, when I almost step on one, I almost invariably set personal high-jump records. I find rattlesnakes to be among the most fascinating animals. Still, I see nothing wrong with admitting that some animals cause our spines to tingle and sometimes fill us with outright fear. Snakes and bats have enough problems without folklore and myth leading to people killing them. And indeed, many “creepy critters” are unfairly vilified and outright persecuted.Īnd I agree. They see bats associated with zombies and creepy clowns, and worry it will lead people to think of bats as monstrous. It’s also a time of year that makes many naturalists cringe. It’s Halloween and my neighborhood has been overtaken by giant bats, spiders and snakes – of the decorative variety.
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