ABSTRACT
Phytoplankton form the first link in the vast food chain that vitally sustains all marine life. More conventional examples of predation by Giant trevally feeding on anchovies are provided overleaf. The pharyngeal jaws can leap forward to grab prey held in the oral jaws and then drag it down the throat, thus overcoming the moray's limited ability to swallow large items. The three species of porcelain crabs and the barnacle featured here achieve this using fine nets of fishing fans. Curiously, while quite a range of crab species are decorators, as described elsewhere in this book, there are no known examples of decorator shrimps-though many share similar environments, diets and predators. The diminutive shrimps, though no more than five centimetres long, are easily able to immobilise their prey by turning it over onto its back. Mantis shrimp are reported to form monogamous pairs with the male providing for both of them during the brooding period.
