{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "mantis-shrimp",
  "name": "Peacock Mantis Shrimp",
  "scientificName": "Odontodactylus scyllarus",
  "category": "Invertebrate",
  "summary": "The peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) is a vividly coloured predatory crustacean of tropical Indo-Pacific reefs, famous for the fastest strike in the animal kingdom. Growing up to about 18 cm (7 in), it swims over the reef and burrows in the seabed, smashing snails and crabs with club-like appendages that accelerate at over 80 km/h (50 mph). It has extraordinary eyes and lives three to six years.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Arthropoda",
    "class": "Malacostraca",
    "order": "Stomatopoda",
    "family": "Odontodactylidae",
    "genus": "Odontodactylus"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.06,
    "lengthM": 0.18,
    "topSpeedKmh": 1,
    "lifespanYears": 6
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Odontodactylus scyllarus"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Carnivore (crabs, snails, mollusks, fish)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Burrows on tropical Indo-Pacific reefs"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "3–6 years"
    },
    {
      "label": "Length",
      "value": "Up to about 18 cm (7 in)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "Strike reaches over 80 km/h (50 mph)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Burrows on coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to Guam and northern Australia.",
    "continents": [
      "Oceans"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Odontodactylus scyllarus.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Odontodactylus%20scyllarus&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Odontodactylus scyllarus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Odontodactylus_scyllarus/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Wikipedia — Peacock Mantis Shrimp.",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontodactylus_scyllarus"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mantis-shrimp/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mantis-shrimp/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}