Repeated computed tomography scanning reveals morphological development of burrows produced by the tiger pistol shrimp Alpheus bellulus.

The burrow morphology of endobenthic organisms reflects their subsurface ecology. In this study, we observed the three-dimensional development of burrows produced by the tiger pistol shrimp Alpheus bellulus in a tank using an X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner. CT scanning was performed at 10-30 min intervals immediately after the start of burrow construction.