# What ever happened to 'killer shrimp'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059 "2005-01-04T17:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/1 "2005-01-04T17:42:39Z")
I guess it was back in the '80s that there were sensational stories about ‘killer shrimp’. I don’t remember the details, but ISTR that these shrimp were rather aggressige and sliced a lot of fingers. IIRC, they were found in San Diego Bay and other places. What kind of shrimp were known as ‘killer shrimp’, and why don’t we hear about them anymore (aside from the obvious reason of, ‘Okay, we’ve scared the public enough; now let’s talk about “killer sun tea”.’)? ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/2 "2005-01-04T17:49:09Z")
This is a new one on me. For one thing, although Nova Scotia has a shrimp fishery, I have never seen them sold alive; they’re always frozen, or at least pre-deceased. A Google search for _killer shrimp_ reveals several “killer” recipes for shrimp, and restaurants advertising their huge shrimp portions. There are also a handful of articles about invasive shrimp that kill of the native populations, but nothing about shrimp that injure people. ---
**Author:** ![Alvis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alvis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alvis)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/3 "2005-01-04T17:59:12Z")
Mantis shrimp. Not shrimp, though, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/4 "2005-01-04T18:02:47Z")
> [@SavageNarce](#): > > but nothing about shrimp that injure people. I remember seeing some footage of a fisherman with a nasty laceration on his fingers. > [@Alvis](#): > > Mantis shrimp. Not shrimp, though, IIRC. Doesn’t sound familiar. ISTR ‘black tiger shrimp’, but I’m probably thinking of the big yummy ones. ---
**Author:** ![Alvis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alvis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alvis)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/5 "2005-01-04T18:02:55Z")
> **[Meet Blueboard, Not Your Average Philodendron](https://www.blueboard.com/philodendron)** > > You may have been previously searching for philodendron, but instead, let's explore experiential rewards, incentives and gifts for your top scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/6 "2005-01-04T18:06:19Z")
> [@Alvis](#): > > [Meet Blueboard, Not Your Average Philodendron](http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/pics/full/news_killershrimp.gif) Interesting. That’s obviously a tabloid clipping, but there _were_ local news stories about it. San Diego and everything. I guess sometimes WWN gets it right. So why don’t we hear about people getting cut by them? Scare value wore off? ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/7 "2005-01-04T18:07:29Z")
Gee, this sounds like a good idea for a low budget horror film. I wonder if there is anyone on the boards who makes that sort of movie. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/8 "2005-01-04T18:08:18Z")
Oh, wait… > [@](#): > > [T]he shrimp usually prowl Pacific waters south of San Diego… So if they’ve gone back to whence they came, we don’t care. It’s all about us, after all. 😉 :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/9 "2005-01-04T18:11:07Z")
For a minute there, I thought you were talking about [this place.](http://www.digitalcity.com/losangeles/dining/venue.adp?vid=14102)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/10 "2005-01-04T18:11:58Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > Gee, this sounds like a good idea for a low budget horror film. I wonder if there is anyone on the boards who makes that sort of movie. > > 🙂 Heh. I’ve got an Éclair NPR. And a Bolex with an underwater housing. And SCUBA. Does anyone have a script and a bunch of disposable income? How about _The Beast of Birch Bay_? Only we’d use dungeness crabs, since that’s mostly what we have here. Or killer clams. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/11 "2005-01-04T18:14:28Z")
Funny you should ask. There’ve been a few threads about these here over the years, and there’s actually one that was just started over in MPSIMS. I believe the title is “A Mantis Shrimp lives in my house!” Oh, here we go, [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=295094). ---
**Author:** ![hammerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hammerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammerbach)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/12 "2005-01-04T18:19:39Z")
Dang, I thought those were pistol shrimp. I remember the noise from diving in Mission Bay in San Diego, and I was told to leave 'em alone or risk a nasty cut. Must have been a conflation of two critters. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/13 "2005-01-04T18:56:20Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Heh. I’ve got an Éclair NPR. And a Bolex with an underwater housing. And SCUBA. Does anyone have a script and a bunch of disposable income? > > How about _The Beast of Birch Bay_? Only we’d use dungeness crabs, since that’s mostly what we have here. Or killer clams. Why not, and why not call them shrimp all the same? When [Pirhana](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B00004Y3WA/104-2053977-0550365?%5Fencoding=UTF8) was shot just south of here they used the native (previously introduced, actually) tilapias and filmed them attacking peanut butter covered victims. Killer shrimp? Just put in a few throwaway lines like “The mutations made them grow. They may look like crabs but they’re shrimp… damn those savage, man-eating shrimp…” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/14 "2005-01-04T19:06:26Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > Just put in a few throwaway lines like “The mutations made them grow. They may look like crabs but they’re shrimp… damn those savage, man-eating shrimp…” ‘See? See what happens when you scientists damage the environment? Hellish obscenities and damnable crustaceans!’ Actually, I like the image of a guy in a big clam suit. Shoot it in B&W as if it were a real 1950s B-horror, à la _The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra_. ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/15 "2005-01-05T01:57:22Z")
[Mantis shrimp](http://www.downwindproductions.com/mantis_shrimp.html) found in Ala Wai canal near Waikiki. Sea monster indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/16 "2005-01-05T09:15:54Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > ‘See? See what happens when you scientists damage the environment? Hellish obscenities and damnable crustaceans!’ > Actually, I like the image of a guy in a big clam suit. Shoot it in B&W as if it were a real 1950s B-horror, à la _The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra_. Or you could film it from the shrimp’s POV: **Seafood Buffet: The Guzzling** {Filmed in Prawn-o-Vision} Trailerman V/O: “Bite them…before THEY bite YOU!” C’mon, babe, let’s scuttle out to Dead Shrimp’s Reef and make out. Oh, Brad, I’d love to, but… what about the stories of all those prawns vanishing? Some people say that the HUMANS took them! That’s just Old Crustaceans’ Tales, Betty. Only the little larvae still believe them. And if you’re scared {puffs out thorax, flexes pincers}, I’m shrimp enough to look out for both of us. Oh, Brad…you’re so… shrimply. {Swoons} ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-killer-shrimp/283059/17 "2005-01-05T15:22:48Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > Oh, Brad, I’d love to, but… what about the stories of all those prawns vanishing? Some people say that the HUMANS took them! I wouldn’t worry about them. They’re used to being used as prawns in our sick and twisted games.