Ghost Shrimp Instrumental Design

Oonagh Davis

Oonagh Davis | ARCH 1101 Fall 2015 Professors: James Williamson and Lorena del RĂo Teaching Associate: Lea Stagno

Ghost Shrimp The ghost shrimp, thalassinideans belongs to the crustacean infraorder which is more closely related to the anomurans and crabs than they are to shrimp. There are about 40 different species of ghost shrimp, but all have similar intentions such as hiding from predators, digging for nutrition. The thalassinidean creates extensive burrowing systems within sand or mud and live in brine water, where a river and ocean meet. From the surface their burrows are modest consisting of two holes: a concave “in-hole” which allows water and nutrition to flow in, and a convex “out-hole” which is used for the removal of unwanted material and waste. This shrimp can dig down for up to 75cm, made possible by it’s asymmetrical body proportions. One of its two claws is significantly larger than the other, this comically large pincher is very powerful and has the ability to dig through challenging terrain.

The ghost shrimp’s tail is primarily used to navigate through water and through its burrow. Its modulated exoskeletal structure allows for tail flexibility; each unit fitting into the next and all working together as one cohesive system. When one unit moves there is a chain reaction on the others which is kinetically fluid.