Thor dicaprio
A small, sharp-eyed anemone shrimp logged widely in Grand Cayman and Bonaire's Leeward Coast, comfortable year-round in warm Caribbean water.
A tiny, translucent-bodied shrimp that sits low and still on its host anemone rather than swimming about. Look for the squat, hunched posture and fine mottled or speckled patterning that helps it disappear against the anemone's tentacles. It rarely strays from its host, so once you spot the anemone, scan slowly across the base for a small shape that barely moves.
Divers find it parked motionless on its host anemone, usually tucked low among the tentacles rather than perched on top. It shows little reaction to a slow approach or a torch at night, which makes it a good macro subject once located, though its small size and camouflage mean most divers swim straight past it. Sightings run from occasional to fairly regular depending on the site, so it rewards a careful, unhurried look at anemones rather than a passing glance.
It lives in a close partnership with its host anemone, relying on it for shelter and rarely venturing more than a body length away, which is why finding the anemone is really the whole game.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the sightings, and with water temperatures logged between about 25 and 31 C, it sits comfortably on Caribbean reefs all year round. Any month works, it comes down to finding the right anemone rather than the right season.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most reliably logged in Grand Cayman, which accounts for the bulk of sightings, with strong secondary populations on Bonaire's Leeward Coast and around Saba's Tent Reef and The Pinnacles. Divers also record it in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Curacao, and the US Virgin Islands, making it a solidly Caribbean and Dutch/French Antilles find.
Mapping where Dicaprio's Squat Anemone Shrimp is logged…
Grand Cayman has the most logged sightings by far, with further reliable finds on Bonaire's Leeward Coast and Saba's Tent Reef and The Pinnacles. It also turns up in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Curacao, and the US Virgin Islands.
There is no strong seasonal pattern in the sightings, and it tolerates a wide warm-water range of roughly 25 to 31 C, so it can be found year-round on Caribbean reefs.
Look for a small, translucent, mottled shrimp sitting low and still on a sea anemone rather than swimming freely. Its squat posture and reluctance to leave the host are the main giveaways underwater.
No. It has no venom or defence relevant to divers and simply sits on its host anemone, easy to observe or photograph without any risk.
Exact size data is not well documented, but like other anemone shrimp in the Thor genus it is a small, easily overlooked animal best searched for with a slow, close look at anemones.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Freshwater Shrimp
2,168 sites
