Stomatopod Log Entry: A short note regarding mantis shrimp attacks on humans

Contributor: Dr. Roy Caldwell

A few years ago, a surgeon from South Africa wrote me about being attacked by a large Odontodactylus scyllarus. He was diving on the northeastern coast of South Africa and saw a very large O. scyllarus on the open bottom. Thinking that it might be good to eat, he grabbed it. It stabbed him in the finger, the dactyl penetrating well into a joint. Almost immediately infection set in. The infection did not respond to antibiotics and eventually they had to amputate the finger to save the rest of his hand. This is the only case I have substantiated of someone being "seriously" hurt by a stomatopod. I have several newspaper clippings from southern California, mostly of the National Inquirer variety, proclaiming that "Killer Shrimp Attacks Fisherman". These are Hemisquilla that are caught on hook and line. When the fisherman tries to remove the hook, they are struck. Having handled very large Hemisquilla, it is clear that they could break a person's finger, but I doubt that they could cut it off as some reports claim.

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