This was priceless. The mantis shrimp was the size of a match box, and the octopus got very close to him. He kept quiet until the octopus moved off then hurtled across the sand and stung him. We have seen the Peacock mantis shrimp, which is bigger, and this pigmy mantis shrimp, which is completely fearless.
Its octopus mating season, and they are everywhere. There are more than 200 different species of octopus have been named, according to Debelius. There are more than 100 undescribed species, and we seem to have at least 4 that I have seen in Mauritius, from the tiny pygmy octopus right up to this large Octopus Vulgaris, or common octopus.
On a tropical Island they are of course an edible delicacy, but as divers we find their activities fascinating. Luckily, they are reef inhabitants, and protected under the ocean. They have a fairly short life span, but they seem to be very evolved for a creature with such a short life.

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