Introducing the mightiest fighter this boxing ring has ever seen… the peacock mantis shrimp! With the physical combination of a shrimp and a praying mantis, these brightly colored crustaceans have definitely earned the name peacock mantis shrimp. Despite their name, these animals are scientifically known as (Odontodactylus scyllarus) and are actually a part of the same order as most crabs and lobsters!

The peacock mantis shrimp is found in the shallow waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Its large claws at the front of its body make great shovels, allowing it to create its own habitat in the form of a burrow. These burrows are used not only as hunting grounds but also as shelters and nurseries for their eggs. On average, a peacock mantis shrimp lays 50,000 eggs per clutch, and the female carries them on her abdomen, constantly aerating and cleaning them. When the eggs hatch, they will float through the surface waters as microscopic zooplankton until they hit the ocean floor, indicating they are ready to grow up.

Mantis shrimp are particularly famous for their hunting strategy involving punching their prey as hard as they can. They have two forelimbs known as raptorial appendages, and although most arthropods (crabs, lobsters, shrimp, etc.) have these appendages, the mantis shrimp has an additional part called a dactyl club. They use this club for hunting and self-defense.

The dactyl club on a peacock mantis shrimp works like a specialized hammer, which is used to bludgeon hard-shelled prey like crabs and snails. Their strike is strong and incredibly fast. They can hit prey at speeds of around 23 meters per second, which is about 50 times faster than humans blink. As the club comes down on its prey, the surrounding water vaporizes, creating cavitation bubbles (tiny vapor pockets that collapse with explosive energy). These explosive bubbles can produce heat, boiling water, and even flashes of light, meaning that even if the mantis shrimp misses its target, it can still deliver a lethal shockwave from the shear force of the blow through the water.

Not only do these animals pack the strongest punch, but they also have the most unique and complex eyes in the animal kingdom. Human eyes are capable of picking up only three photoreceptors (red, blue, green), but mantis shrimp are viewing the world with 16 photoreceptors! This includes perceiving UV, visible, and polarised light.

Peacock mantis shrimp are typically only 2 to 7 inches long in adulthood, and despite their small stature, I think we can agree that these brightly colored crustaceans are the definition of small but mighty. 

Sources

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/mantis-shrimps.html

https://aqua.org/explore/animals/peacock-mantis-shrimp

https://phys.org/news/2013-09-mantis-shrimp-world-eyesbut.html

Foreword by Stevie Hyle:

When I was in high school, my dearest friends and I would always walk together to the lake near our neighborhood. We spent hours sitting there, talking and people-watching. During our best days and worst moments, we’d always come back to the lake and listen to one another. One of the hardest days was when we had to part ways. I was a year younger, and my friends were moving hours away to start college. For the first time, we didn’t have anything to say. We sat there in silence, teary-eyed for a while. After what felt like an eternity, my friend softly questioned, “Have you ever heard of the mantis shrimp?”. I replied, confused, “ No, tell me more..” The next hour was spent in awe, discussing the mantis shrimp’s flabbergasting abilities and splendor. Our tears turned to giggles and imaginative questions.  Something about the might of such a small creature made us feel more capable of handling the challenges ahead. When words failed, the mantis shrimp prevailed.