Odontodactylus scyllarus, Bali, Indonesia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Odontodactylus scyllarus, Tanzania, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Odontodactylus scyllarus, Stradbroke Island, QLD, Photo: Antonia Cooper
Odontodactylus scyllarus, Stradbroke Island, QLD, Photo: Antonia Cooper
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Brightly coloured and unmistakeable. This species has the fastest punch of any animal in the world, using the club-like front appendages to knock out and crack open its prey (such as crabs and seashells). Can be curious, but is more often shy, seen scooting back to its hole in the sand.
Information
Max Size: 18 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 21.9-32.8°C
Depth: 0 - 100 m
Habitat: Coral Reef, Soft sediment
Rarity
IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (2% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution.
It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
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