Random Incredible Things You Didn't Know About Mantis Shrimp, Tiny Hulks Of Sea (14 items)

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  (#1) Mantis Shrimp Are Not Actually Shrimp

  Despite their name and appearance, mantis shrimp are not truly shrimp at all. Instead, they are a crustacean more closely related to lobsters and crabs. Their name mostly refers to their close resemblance to praying mantises, an insect you might be able to find in your garden. However, unlike the mandibles that mantises have, this creature has something a little different. On the ends of its front legs, mantis shrimp have a a raptorial second thoracic appendage, that makes them unique from both mantises and shrimp, as well as crabs or lobsters.
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  (#2) They Can Speak In Secret Code

  Most animals have a language that confuses or completely eludes us, but mantis shrimp take their language one step further. Rather than just making noises, mantis shrimp have found a way to communicate with each other in a super secret code.

  Researchers discovered that, in order to communicate via secret code, mantis shrimp will bounce polarized light off their bodies in different patterns to get their point across. Their bodies have areas called maxillipeds, and there are spots of color on these appendages. The mantis shrimp has the ability to bounce and manipulate the light to scatter across the spot's surface, and then other mantis shrimp interpret those signals. Other animals can't understand or see this.
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  (#3) They Come In A Huge Variety Of Colors

  As far as ocean life goes, it's pretty apparent the mantis shrimp is one of the most brilliantly colored animals there is. What's more, they come in a vast variety of different colors. To date, there are over 350 species of mantis shrimp on record, and most have slightly different color patterns. Some are simple and light in color, while others are iridescent and neon, like the animal pictured here. One of the most colorful is the rather large peacock mantis shrimp, so called because of the way its body resembles the feathers of a peacock. The peacock mantis shrimp is sought after for its color.
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  (#4) Their Attacks Can Move Faster Than Bullets

  There are few animals out there who can pack more of a punch than this creature. Many mantis shrimp species tend to eat clams and other hard-shelled mollusks. They can afford to do this because they can attack with their super-hard claws with all the speed of a .22 caliber bullet. Those little claws move so fast the human eye cannot detect them, and impact  a surface with more than 160 pounds of force. The attack doesn't even have to be perfectly on target, because the shockwave they create as they move can be deadly all on its own. They also tend to be predatory in nature, so whether it's a fish, mussel, or potential enemy, the mantis shrimp is going to take them down.

  In some cultures, the mantis shrimp is known as the "thumb splitter," and given this information, it's easy to see why.
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  (#5) They Can Break Out Of Most Aquariums

  Given that these little guys can completely destroy a clam shell or kill a fish in a single blow, it makes sense they would not be easily contained. Their mandibles move fast and hard, and are strong enough that they can easily break most glass, even if it's multiple layers thick. When they are kept, they must be stored in shatterproof acrylic and away from any other sea life they could terrorize and kill. Even the Monterey Bay Aquarium had a mantis shrimp break out of its container and make its way to the children's area in 2001. For that reason, you don't see mantis shrimp in many public aquariums, and you see them even less often in private collections. 
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  (#6) They Have The Best Eyesight In The World

  It makes sense the mantis shrimp would have such incredible eyesight, considering how brilliant their eyes look. That secret code they communicate in can only be seen by other mantis shrimp, and that's because they have the best eyes in the animal kingdom.

  While they have trouble differentiating between specific color hues, their eyes are able to see things that ours can't. Each eye has 12 photoreceptors, whereas humans have a mere two. They may be able to see colors we can't even comprehend. What we do know is that they can see and perceive light and shapes far differently and better than us. Scientists have come to believe that mantis shrimp take in all visual information they come across, and that it goes directly into their brains without passing through any sort of processing. This, along with their independently roaming eyes and trinocular vision, make mantis shrimp amazing at reacting to their surroundings in the blink of an eye.
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  (#7) They Make Super Creepy Noises

  Although mantis shrimp can communicate though their light-reflecting code, that's not to say they always remain silent. While the females are relatively quiet, the males are more than willing to cause a stir, especially during the dusk and evening hours, when they're most active.

  During that period, the mantis shrimp tends to hunt the most, and moves about in order to protect its home. One means of protection is to scare others away, and it does this by trying to sound as menacing as possible. The males will make a low frequency rumbling noise, like a distant earthquake or thunder. Others creatures feel the noise more than hear it. They also make popping and creaking noises, like you're in some kind of haunted house. When they do fight each other, they call back and forth in a sort of rumbling chorus as they battle, letting other animals know to stay far away.
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  (#8) They Were Around Before The Dinosaurs

  The mantis shrimp is hardly a newcomer to the ocean scene. Crustaceans existed among very early sea life, and mantis shrimp branched off from other crustaceans nearly 400 million years ago. That means there were mantis shrimp scuttling around around 170 million years before the very first dinosaurs ever walked the earth. They have since evolved in an isolated evolutionary lineage, which is why they have such an unusual appearance even to this day. It just goes to show they're such an effective hunter and survivor, that they've managed to go this long without getting wiped out.
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  (#9) They Can Vaporize Water Just By Moving

  When a mantis shrimp attacks or decides to move with haste, the consequences on its surroundings can be drastic. For example, the mantis shrimp can move so fast it flash-boils the water around its body or its mandibles. This causes the water to vaporize suddenly, then implode with a sharp bang that can actually be heard by nearby creatures. The bang is accompanied by a shockwave that passes through the water as an added blow against enemies or prey. The heat from the boiling and vaporized water can also harm other animals, which makes a mantis shrimp attack a triple threat: speed, impact, and heat. 

  Some mantis shrimp spear their prey rather than smashing it, and these stabbing mandibles can move just as quickly. They can impale prey so fast that no one ever saw it coming, and can be then used to dismember the prey for eating.
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  (#10) They Are Absurdly Heavily Armored

  With how fast these little creatures move, with the type of punch they pack, and with how aggressive and predatory they are, it stands to reason they'd need a pretty thick skin to survive. In fact, mantis shrimp have multiple levels of armor and flesh, starting with a layer that is similar to human bones and teeth. Then, underneath, there are layers of hydroxyapatite and chitin, acting somewhat like a bulletproof vest. Cracks do form, but the material of the shell are such that mantis shrimp can smash things over and over again without the cracks growing. Mantis shrimp can move and attack the way they do without harm. This armor is so effective the military is looking into using similar methods to make better armor for soldiers, as well as better armor for cars and other vehicles. 
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  (#11) They're Very Secretive And Live Underground

  When you think of shrimp, you might think of them moving in a large group. However, mantis shrimp are not truly shrimp, and they tend to be very solitary creatures. When they do mate, they're monogamous for long term, and they tend to be very protective of their homes from others. Even other species can become targets just from getting too close. 

  Mantis shrimp are able to survive in cracks and rock crevices without any real problem. That being said, they mostly prefer to live in underground burrows, which they dig themselves. They can create intricate passageways and burrows throughout the sea bed, which means they don't have to come out to move around the sea floor very often. Because of this, they are incredibly difficult for scientists to study and research, and they are seen as very secretive creatures. 
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  (#12) They Are Very Detailed Learners

  You probably wouldn't think of a shrimp, lobster, or any crustacean as being particularly intelligent, but a mantis shrimp would probably disagree with you. Through scientific studies, they have shown to have pretty good memories, and are quite capable of learning and adapting to different situations. Certain species have shown they can signal and understand behavioral signals from other animals besides their own kind, and they are able to learn about unfamiliar species rather quickly. They are able to recognize individual creatures and other mantis shrimp that they repeatedly come across, and can identify others even by smell alone. So, if you were to misguidedly try to keep a mantis shrimp as a pet, it would quickly grow to recognize you.
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  (#13) They Make Great Dads

  Mantis shrimp are a monogomous species, and they mate about 20 to 30 times in their lives. During that period, the father mantis shrimp turns into superdad, and takes on many responsibilities the female has. They share the same burrow during the gestation of the eggs, do their daily activities together, and the males will take care of the eggs themselves. Sometimes, there are actually two clutches of eggs laid, and the father takes care of one clutch all on his own. He will hunt for his family, protect his family, and even after the babies hatch, he still sticks around. It might be up to three months before the babies go off on their own, and he keeps a watchful eye on them for that entire time.
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  (#14) They Are Able to Create Light When They Kill Their Prey

  So, we know these creatures can attack with the speed of a bullet, boil water, and create deadly shock waves with ease, but there's one more strange thing these creatures can do when they attack. Fast striking can sometimes form cavitation bubbles in the water, and these can create small glints of light in a process called sonoluminescence. You might see tiny circular bubbles of light briefly flicker of you were trying to watch one of these attacks. Does this light flash help in hunting? Does it blind the mantis shrimp's prey?

  As it turns out, nope! This flash of light is just a happy side effect of the creature's speed and power, and is a unique ability to the mantis shrimp. It may not have any real practical application, but it's just one more reason the mantis shrimp is a truly awesome creature. 

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