The Secret Life of Mantis Shrimp Essay

"Mantis Shrimp like Interaction, Fighting and Creating Life-Long Bonds"- Great Barrier Reef Foundation

The Mantis Shrimp is quite a fascinating animal. The Mantis Shrimp's color makes it appear relatively neutral, but really, it is powerful and a fierce hunter. The Mantis Shrimp is solitary, aggressive, and likes to maintain close bonds. That means they want to be alone, have their space, and only trust those they know well. Their trait of forming close bonds is also quite significant in my life. My friend group is a perfect example of that. I put my trust in those that I have known for years or know a lot about. This is evident since all my friends are close to me or have known me for years. An example of my friend group being based on a close bond is when one of my friends came back from India. After many years of him not being there and not talking to him, it was harder for him to join our group again since all the closeness we shared and the strong bond we had formed in the past had faded since he was gone for so many years. It felt like he was a stranger since we hadn't seen him in so long, and we didn't know what he was like now. At first, we acted territorial by not letting him play with us or letting him know that we were outside since we didn't know him well or trust him enough to hang out with him. We disliked him since we didn't remember much about him and we didn't find him a good fit for our group. Later on, after a while, we created a much closer bond with him in the group, and then he became a part of our group since we learned a lot about him, and our relationship with him became more assertive and closer. We became inseparable friends, and we all know this bond will continue for a lifetime. Also, trust is a very important thing for me in a relationship. The Mantis Shrimp is a monogamous animal, meaning that they only have one partner in their lifetime, and they need to know them well and be able to trust them completely. I have the same thing with my friends and family, excluding the partner part. I need to know that the people I am involved with are good people for me in my life and that if I need help with anything or am having problems, they will be there for me like Mantis Shrimp are there for each other.

“Most species of Mantis Shrimps are solitary and territorial creatures.”- Mantis Shrimp Facts Soft Schools

The Mantis Shrimp tends to be a very solitary species with the tendency to be productive alone showcased by their ability to hunt by themselves. Even though they form long-lasting connections with other members of their species, they continue to possess the personality of a loner. The Mantis Shrimp actually is most productive when by itself highlighted by its ability to hunt effectively without the help of any of their species. This is similar to my own life because I tend to be considered a loner myself when I am motivated to complete a task given to me. When hunting, the Mantis Shrimp achieves a flawless catch of their prey by doing it alone. Just like myself when doing school work for example highlighting the similarity in productivity between myself and these colorful crustaceans. I remember a tale back in my 8th grade science class. My friend and I would always study together in the library after school because we both weren’t the best at science. Unlike my friend, I had a very good work ethic which allowed me to maintain an B+ in the class due to my ability to not procrastinate on studying or doing homework. However, I remember one week where I was in a terrible situation and didn’t have time to prepare for a big test. My friend decided to help me out since he claimed to have studied the material himself. We went after school to the mall and hung out the whole rest of the day there as a “rest” day. The next day, the day before the big test, we went to the movies watching the new Justice League movie. When I came back home, I was so tired that I fell asleep on the couch. In the morning, I woke up with 10 mins before I had to leave for the bus with my notebook laying flat against my stomach and months worth of notes scattered across my living room floor. When I walked into my science classroom, the day of the test, I was mortified with fear knowing that I was going to fail this. Looking across the room at my friend’s paper, I could see the same blank expression I had. I knew then; he didn’t study either. Couple days later, I got my test back with a red D splattered across the side of my packet. From then on, I only remember sitting in the library or at home studying alone. And one test after another, I did better and better leading to the conclusion that working alone highlights my most productive self like a Mantis Shrimp has when hunting alone.

“Many animals use threatening signals to steer clear of costly bouts, but for these boxing crustaceans, the fights are the signals”- The Atlantic

The Mantis Shrimp has a smasher that tosses more than the shrimp's weight into a deadly punch. Even though they seem to be solitary, when it comes to prey or signs of danger the Mantis Shrimp is not afraid to get physical. The Mantis Shrimp spots prey or senses danger they won’t hesitate twice before they lay a punch. This is similar to me since I am not afraid to stand my ground or fight back when I’m in a situation where it is necessary. An example of this is when I get into fights with others. A story related to this is when I was in 7th grade. My friend was being extra annoying and was trying to provoke me and another friend to fight since he knew we were mad at each other the day before. I found out that my friend had said something disrespectful about my family out of rage. I suddenly felt hatred and this motivated me to find my friend and see what he had to say about this. I saw my friend at the bus stop the very next day and I confronted him. He said that “he didn’t regret what he said and that I deserved it”. I didn’t want him to disrespect my family or even talk about them in an offensive way so I conveyed my anger by punching him to the ground. Even though I could’ve resolved this situation in a better way, this represents how I am not scared to get physical when the time calls for it. My family’s reputation and my self esteem was being attacked and I sensed the threat and acted upon it like a Mantis Shrimp does. Ultimately, creating close bonds, being independent, and being able to fight my own battles are some of the most important things that define me and are some of the most influential traits a Mantis Shrimp has that helps it survive as well.