I’ve previously mentioned the Peppermint Gang, the shrimp who lurk in “the place we don’t swim alone at night” and have occasional disagreements with Thing 1 and Thing 2 (which continue, despite the unfortunate loss of Thing 2 in a seahorse-related incident).
Given their secretive tendencies, photos of the gang are difficult to obtain. When the tank lights are on, the shrimp in question look mostly like this:
Or this:
(Think “where’s waldo” on an aquatic scale. Except that I already have a fish named Waldo – but that’s the subject of another post.)
The last time my friend visited, however, we managed to lure the peppermints out of hiding long enough to obtain some better images. And so, for those wondering exactly what I mean when I say “peppermint shrimp:
Peppermint 1 (with nassarius snail and Banzai the staghorn hermit.)
Peppermint 2 – doing an impression of a cleaner shrimp (or, more likely, trying to “help” that snail out of his shell in order to eat him for dinner).
It’s rare to see them out in “daylight” – food rarely works as a lure. I’m glad they finally cooperated, however, because it means I can share them with you.