The super-speed camera records the mantis shrimp's punch as fast as a bullet

Mantis shrimps are famous for possessing club-like claws that can deliver fatal blows to everything from hard-shelled prey to the thick glass of an aquarium.

Mantis shrimp attack its fellow creatures with a fatal blow. (Video: New Atlas).

New research published in the journal Experimental Biology reveals what would happen if they attacked each other with an attack speed of 23 m/s, according to New Atlas . Ecologist Patrick Green at the University of California, Santa Barbara, successfully recorded two mantis shrimps fighting over territory, and revealed how this small but powerful creature blocks attacks as fast as a bullet. 5.56 mm fired at close range.

"For mantis shrimps, competitors deliver bullet-like blows to each other's tail coverts, or the terminal segments of their abdomens, in the fight for shelter ," Green explains. "During natural fights, we see mantis shrimp curling their tails in front of their bodies like a shield."

While investigating how the reef mantis shrimp ( Neogonodactylus bredini ) can handle a violent blow from another individual without breaking into pieces, Green discovered that the defensive animal can curl its tail into a boxer-like position. Boxing to absorb attack force , thereby dispersing the opponent's strength. He had the two mantis shrimps fight each other and filmed it in super slow motion. As soon as they faced each other, the mantis shrimp pair almost immediately fought, according to Green. The ecologist can record extremely fast and powerful blows by recording at 30,000 - 40,000 frames per second, about 1,000 times faster than conventional cameras.

The blow was so fast that the water in front of the shrimp's claws evaporated instantly.

Previous studies have identified the spring-like coiled tail as key to mantis shrimp's ability to survive attacks from aggressive territorial mates, but the latest research accurately measures the effectiveness of this natural shield. to what extent and how quickly they react. The blow was so fast that the water in front of the shrimp's claws evaporated instantly.

When analyzing movement, energy exchange and impact, Green found that the self-defense mantis shrimp can absorb impact force and disperse about 90% of the force from the opponent's claws. The secret lies in the fact that the animal curls up the end of its abdomen and hangs in the water with all its legs off the seabed, making the blow useless.

Meanwhile, the hard armor protecting the soft and vulnerable invertebrate body of the mantis shrimp has attracted much attention to develop lightweight and durable materials. Their famous eyesight is another superpower that scientists hope to put to use. Currently, researchers recognize about 400 species of mantis shrimp on Earth.