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Posted: April 30, 2004
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With the force of a hammer’s blow, a mantis shrimp can smash the shell of a large snail that it then devours for dinner. In captivity, mantis shrimp have been known to shatter glass aquarium walls with their powerful kicks.
Scientists now report that mantis shrimp deliver their blows at speeds of up to 23 meters per second, making them the fastest “striker” in the animal kingdom. Much of the speed comes from a special “spring” in the hinge of the leg that does the kicking.
The mantis shrimp, also known as the stomatopod, is not related to shrimp. The crustacean earned the nickname because its hunting style recalls that of preying mantis insects and because it captures food in a shrimp-like manner.
All images are courtesy Roy L. Caldwell, University of California Berkeley. — Kate Ruder
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