The Unrealized Shrimp

The unrealized beauty and behavior of a shrimp, filmed during a night dive in Dar es Salaam.

Fluorescent orange eyes glow in the distance and shuffle deeper into the sand as I get closer. I glance below me, at the two pea-like eyes, accompanied by an odd round opening – which I safely assume is a mouth.

Suddenly, whatever it is, jumps swiftly from the sand and begins scurrying along the sea bottom. Ah a shrimp! The scalloped tail is gradient from yellow to green to pastel blue to the most vibrant purple I’ve ever witnessed. White and yellow-tipped, long spider-like legs closest to the head do all the work while dangling red and neon striped back legs come along for the ride. Two antennas, longer than the length of its body flow along both sides of the muted, humpback body with eyes outstretched from a pointed glass-like head.

Finally it stops, and I notice pink legs emerge, they dig and the creature presses itself slowly back into the sand at the bottom of the Indian ocean.

[vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt6HM2wXS2s”]