The brutal efficiency of the mantis shrimp

Note how the snap of it’s punches can be heard from outside the tank

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Isn’t it the fastest punch on the planet?
Those shrimp are pretty awesome, amazing polarized vision, too.

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Yup which is why it surprised me at first that the sound was able escape the water

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They’re also really tasty too, at least the ones in the Adriatic are.

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mmm… mantis shrimp diavolo!
a linguine dish with a flavor that really packs a punch!

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They’re actually like a sweeter lobster or crayfish, quite a delicate flavor, so they tend not to pair it with hot pepper, that’s usually for crab…

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Mantis shrimp have that many color receptors, but in experiments it turns out they don’t have a corresponding ability to differentiate colors, so it seems like something else is going on with them. They definitely have great vision for polarized light though…not just seeing linear polarization like other arthropods, but circular polarization, which so far as I know is unique to them.

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In Hawaii and much of Polynesia, near shore waters have a lot of juvenille mantis shrimp, and they are a favorite prey of bonefish. Bonefish have extra-thick skulls between their mouth and the top of their heads and their eyes have a very thick protective layer. While I am not sure that was developed specifically to avoid injury from mantis shrimp punches, it couldn’t hurt.

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