SUBMON
  • Element del menú
    • About us
      • Mission, vision y values
      • Our team
      • Transparency
    • Activity
      • Conservation and marine biodiversity
      • Environmental education and training workshops
      • Restoration, improvement and mitigation of impact on species of marine ecosystems projects
      • Sustainable activities for marine environment
    • Collaborate
      • Participate in our projects
      • Companies
    • Shop
    • News
    • Contact
    • Element del menú
  • en
    • ca
    • es
    • en
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • ca
  • es
  • en
SUBMON
  • About us
    • Mission, vision y values
    • Our team
    • Transparency
  • Activity
    • Conservation and marine biodiversity
    • Environmental education and training workshops
    • Restoration, improvement and mitigation of impact on species of marine ecosystems projects
    • Sustainable activities for marine environment
  • Collaborate
    • Participate in our projects
    • Companies
  • Shop
  • News
  • Contact
  • Element del menú
Environmental education and awareness

Mantis shrimp: cute but lethal

February 6, 2020
By Natxo Navarro
0 Comment
3373 Views
Article by Natxo Navarro

Our featuring character today is mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus), a marine crustacean distributed around Indian Ocean and western Pacific.

It inhabits in coral reefs at between 3 and 40 meters deep. Its body is around 3 and 18 cm in length, it is completely adapted to live in tunnels and cavities, being one of the most lethal predators of its habitat.

Humans can only see a fraction of the entire light spectrum, however mantis shrimps can see from ultraviolet light to infrared and polarized. Every one of its eyes is subdivided in three, this means it can see an object in three different ways and perceive depth. Furthermore, the eyes work independently and they can rotate up to 70º. Anyway, mantis shrimp has one of the best visions of animal kingdom.

Deadly strike mechanisms

In addition, mantis shrimp is fully-armed. Their anterior extensions function as a whole so they can hit their prey with them. Mantis shrimp can reach up to 102.000 m/s2 of acceleration and more than 80 km per hour, the equivalent of 22-calibre gunshot acceleration. Because of the speed of the hit, it produces cavitation bubbles between their arm and the hit surface. These bubbles generate additional strength over their prey of 1.500 newton, so the prey is hit twice. Despite the first hit could fail, the shock wave generated by cavitation bubbles can have enough strength to knock out or even kill their prey. Cavitation bubbles generate, during a short period of time, light and a small increase of temperature similar to the surface of the sun, but it quickly dissipates.

Have a look at this video:

If you like to know more about mantis shrimp attack consult: S. N. Patek, W. L. Korff, and R. L. Caldwell (2004). «Deadly strike mechanism of a mantis shrimp». Nature 428: 819-820.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Whatsapp

Previous Story
We start the AHAB Project in the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor
Next Story
The Inspector Clouseau or the strange case of the pink manta

Related Articles

From Sea to Fork: European Sea2See project for seafood traceability

The Sea2See project has recently started with the aim of...

Final touch to the project RESPONDER with the Advanced Oiled Wildlife Rescue Center course in Catalonia

After one and a half years of work, October sees...

Leave your comment Cancel Reply

(will not be shared)

Join our newsletter

Categories

  • Conservation
  • Environmental education and awareness
  • Mitigation of environmental impact
  • Sustainable development
  • Uncategorized

Popular posts

  • Climate change, California sea lions and neurosurgeons
  • Well-managed fisheries and human health
  • Utopian and dystopian marine futures
  • On your observations of sharks and rays
  • Who is who? Photo-identifying cetaceans in the AHAB Project
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Legal notice

© SUBMON
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

SUBMON complies fully with the current legislation for the protection of personal data, and the requirement for confidentiality for content management services.

SUBMON has adopted the necessary technical measures to ensure the required level of security, according to the nature and circumstances of the personal data being processed, in order to avoid its alteration, loss, unauthorised access or processing, as far as possible and according to the techniques employed.

Where personal data is required when filling in a form, the client or user will be informed of the recipient and purpose of the information, the identity and address of the individual or company responsible for the file and the right of the user to access, rectify, cancel or object to the processing of their data. Personal data will only be processed and/or released for the purpose expressed, and then only with the permission of the user or client.

In order to always keep our database up to date and to ensure that it does not contain errors, we request that our clients and users inform us as soon as possible of any modification or rectification to their personal data which may be necessary.

Some of the pages of the SUBMON site contain cookies, which are small data files generated in the computer of the user or client which enable the system to remember the language and site, as well as other characteristics and navigation preferences chosen by the user during their first visit. These cookies are not invasive, nor do they carry virus or personal data, and their only function is to personalise navigation according to the choices made previously by the user. If you wish, you can deactivate and/or eliminate cookies by following the instructions which appear in our Security Recommendations .
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
SearchPostsLoginCart
Wednesday, 30, Nov
From Sea to Fork: European Sea2See project for seafood traceability
Wednesday, 23, Nov
EU Ocean Mission 2030: a tool to assess Marine Protected Areas effectiveness in six steps
Monday, 14, Nov
CETAMED NORTE: visual and acoustic censuses to study cetacean and sea turtle populations in the northern sector of the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor
Thursday, 27, Oct
Final touch to the project RESPONDER with the Advanced Oiled Wildlife Rescue Center course in Catalonia
Friday, 7, Oct
First advanced courses and practice drills in Catalonia on search and rescue of oiled marine wildlife of the RESPONDER project
Monday, 19, Sep
SUBMON examines the conservation status of Neptune seagrass in Roses and Montgó (Torroella de Montgrí).

Welcome back,