Close-up of a mantis shrimp's punch stronger than a bullet, killing a mud crab in the blink of an eye

In the video, the mantis shrimp swung a punch stronger than a bullet to attack the crab. This punch is so fast that the friction causes the surrounding water to boil. The shrimp's death blow caused the shrimp to fly away and die immediately.

The peacock mantis shrimp or peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) is the species with the fastest and strongest swinging speed in the animal kingdom. The mantis shrimp's punch has an acceleration equivalent to a bullet fired from a sports gun, allowing it to quickly defeat its prey with just one punch.

This species of shrimp uses its claws to attack prey, mainly crustaceans, gastropods and bivalve mollusks. The mantis shrimp's punch moves at a speed of over 80 km/h, with a force of more than 1,500 Newtons, more than 2,500 times its own weight.

Why can a small shrimp throw such a fast and powerful punch?

According to researchers, the two claws of the peacock mantis shrimp are shaped like two folded sticks and fixed with a spring-like pin. When attacking, the mantis shrimp releases the latch, launching its pincers towards the prey with incredible speed and acceleration, making the prey stunned.

In addition, the claws of the mantis shrimp are coated with hydroxyapatite, a very hard crystalline calcium-phosphate ceramic material.

In the world, there have been a number of cases of mantis shrimp breaking fish tanks.

Kareem Winters

Update 07 August 2024