The mantis shrimp is famous for its claw that resembles a club, capable of delivering a devastating blow to anything from hard-shelled prey to the thick glass of an aquarium.
The mantis shrimp attacks its rival with a crushing blow. (Video: New Atlas).
A new study published in the journal Experimental Biology reveals what happens when they attack each other with a strike speed of 23 m/s, according to New Atlas. Ecologist Patrick Green from the University of California, Santa Barbara, successfully recorded two mantis shrimp competing for territory, revealing how this small but powerful creature can withstand a blow that travels at the speed of a 5.56 mm bullet fired at close range.
“For mantis shrimp, opponents strike quickly like bullets hitting each other on the tail sheath or the end of the abdomen during territorial fights,” Green explains. “In natural battles, we observe mantis shrimp curling their tails against their bodies like a shield.”
When examining how the rock mantis shrimp (Neogonodactylus bredini) can withstand aggressive strikes from another individual without shattering, Green discovered that the creature can curl its tail in a boxing-like stance to absorb the force of the attack, thereby dispersing the opponent’s power. He set two mantis shrimp to fight each other and recorded the event in super slow motion. Almost immediately upon facing each other, the mantis shrimp began to fight, according to Green. The ecologist captured these extremely fast and powerful hits by filming at 30,000 – 40,000 frames per second, approximately 1,000 times faster than a standard camera.
The speed of the strike is such that it causes the water in front of the mantis shrimp’s claw to evaporate in an instant.
Previous studies identified the coiled tail, resembling a spring, as the key to the mantis shrimp’s survival against aggressive territorial attacks, but the latest research accurately measures just how effective this natural shield is and how responsive the shrimp are. The speed of the strike is such that it causes the water in front of the mantis shrimp’s claw to evaporate in an instant.
Analyzing the movements, energy exchange levels, and impacts, Green found that the defensive mantis shrimp can absorb the impact force and disperse about 90% of the strike force from the opponent’s claw. The trick lies in the creature curling its abdomen and hanging in the water with all its legs lifted off the sea floor, rendering the strike ineffective.
Meanwhile, the hard exoskeleton protecting the soft and vulnerable body of the mantis shrimp has garnered much interest for developing lightweight and durable materials. Their renowned eyesight is another superpower that scientists hope to harness for applications. Currently, researchers have identified around 400 species of mantis shrimp on Earth.
