Whats the best way to ship a mantis shrimp?
There has been quite a bit of discussion lately about shipping stomatopods. We do it all the time and here are a few suggestions that might help. 1. Cold is probably your biggest problem. Most mantis can’t survive more than a few hours below 20 Celsius (68 F) and if they drop below 20 they will probably die. (Hemisquilla ensigera from Southern California and other temperate water species are the exception.) This means you need a well-insulated container. We use medical supply shipping containers that have 5 cm of foam all round. The heat packs that commercial shippers use work well, but only if you have the right size pack for the container. If the pack is too large, you will cook the animal. Don’t try handwarmers sold for skiing. They get way too hot. Also, pay attention to the weather. In winter, if there is a storm brewing either on your end or at the destination, forget it. Over night express is really the safest way to ship. Anything that takes more than 24 hours is pushing it. 2.