Mantis Shrimp

Mantis shrimp (Lysiosquilloides mapia)More than 400 species of mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda) are described and the bigger ones which can grow up to sizes of more than 30 cm are also used in local kitchens and restaurants. Mantis shrimp can be separated into two distinct groups: spearers and smashers. Both groups have forelimbs which evolved into specialized raptorial appendages. The smashers, like the colorful Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus), use their clubs to break the shells of crabs, snails and clams while the spearer impale fish on the long spines of their claws. The unfolding of these appendages resembles the hunting mechanism of a terrestrial mantis, hence the name of these crustaceans. When Peacock Mantis Shrimps hammer their prey they generate forces that are thousands of times their body weight. And each strike hits twice: first there is the direct impact and secondly a cavitation impulse follows. The latter is the effect of the fast movement of the appendage (23 m per second) which creates a bubble of vapor. The implosive collapse of the bubble creates a shock wave that itself is able to crack shells. The strike of the Peacock Mantis Shrimp is one of the fastest animal movements in the world. The eyes of mantis shrimps, which are round in smashing species and oval in spearers, are placed on long stalks to make them even more mobile than in other crustaceans. They are considered the most complex eyes in animal kingdom and are, among many other special features, capable of hyperspectral

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