Mantis shrimp: photo, punch power

Praying mantis is a truly unique creature. It has some features that do not occur among other representatives of the terrestrial fauna, therefore it is an object of close study. Our article will tell you about these amazing crustaceans, their varieties and way of life.

Name and nicknames

The name is due to some similarity with the insect mantis - a brave predator and a strong opponent for any natural enemy. But, for the sake of justice, it is worth noting the following. If the praying mantis had to enter into battle with the crustacean of the same name, he would not have any chances. And the fight is unlikely to last more than a few fractions of a second.

There are about 450 varieties of mantis shrimp. All of them have gained an ambiguous fame, and therefore they are often called fighters, murderers, terrorists. In fact, these animals are not shrimps, especially praying mantises, it is more correct to call them roton-legged.

It is worth noting that nature has awarded the roton-legs a remarkably beautiful appearance. Hence one more nickname - peacock shrimp.

Characteristic appearance

Consider the features of the structure. What is the length of the body, the shape of the fighting limbs, and how many pairs of antennae in the mantis shrimp?

Like all crustaceans, the roton-legs have 5 pairs of limbs: the first pair - short sensitive legs, the second - a powerful weapon, the other three pairs are designed for walking. On the front of the case there are also pairs of antennas.

Peacock shrimp-mantis in length can reach 40 cm, but representatives of the majority of subspecies usually do not exceed a decimeter.

Praying mantis shrimp

The folded limbs with which the roton-legged foe the enemy, outwardly resemble the mantis legs. But the mechanism of their action is more like a crossbow. The muscle stretches, like a string, so that when you descend, throw the limb forward with a force comparable to the bullet of a large-caliber pistol.

Just imagine: for the moment, when you blink, theoretically the shrimp-mantis could hit the victim 50 times! Scientists can only look at the impact of a shock with slow, high-speed shooting.

It is also interesting that the mantis shrimp, whose impact force reaches 150 kg, weighs less than 100 grams. And the speed of the limb can reach 80 km / h. This is comparable to an overclocked bus.

Cavitation explosion

Scientists have discovered yet another unique ability of the roton-legs. They hit the victim not only with the help of kinetic energy. Ultra-fast movement, which is not capable of any other living creature on the planet, creates under water even faster eddies. Particles of water warm up to huge temperatures. The resulting cavitation bubble explodes at the moment of contact with the body of the victim.

To observe this phenomenon, researchers have to slow down shooting 50 thousand times.

The mantis shrimp easily crabs, crushes and cuts off their claws, can kill fish, passing by at high speed, often attacks even those who many times exceed it in size (for example, on octopuses). Experienced divers try not to touch roto-nogs, because curiosity can pay for broken and even torn off fingers.

"Crushers" and "piercing"

Scientists divide all rotogens into 2 groups, each of which has many species. The first armed with claws, reminiscent of heavy maces, so they were called "crushers." At the extremities of the extremities of representatives of the second group there are thorns resembling bayonet knives. This group is conditionally called "piercing".

In the behavior of the first and second, too, there are some features. Most "crushers" dwell in the cracks of underwater rocks, natural folds of the relief. The "protractors" prefer to build dwellings on their own - they dig burrows.

Unique eyes

Phenomenal vision is another gift of nature that has been received by the mantis shrimp. Photographs of rotifers allow only a partial assessment of the possibilities of their eyes. In the illustrations, we can see that the vision organs work independently of each other, which allows you to view the space in almost 360 degrees.

However, we can learn the most interesting only with the help of high-precision modern technology.

The human eye has 2 types of receptors. Praying mantis shrimp have 16! Rotopods are seen not only in the black and white and color range, but also in the infrared and ultraviolet. In addition, they are able to recognize polarized light.

For comparison, the fact that all the shades we see are composed of three primary colors: blue, yellow and red. And the mantis cancer does not have 3, but as many as 16. The human brain simply could not analyze that extravaganza of color that is available to the roton-legs.

Mantis in the aquarium

Efficient appearance and active behavior, which is certainly interesting to watch, could not be left without attention of aquarists. In their environment, the roton-leggings are called shrimp-mantis. But if you are dreaming about such a pet, you should not flatter yourself. Handsome man, like no other, capable of seeing the beautiful, will destroy everything around him and quickly kill his neighbors. Praying mantis shrimp easily and with aquarium glass, because his impact is comparable with a shot from a 22-caliber pistol.

In research laboratories, these creatures are kept in containers of impact-resistant plastic. And only one by one. After all, to join the battle with a congenitor for the roton-legs is a common thing. And the shell, which protects the mantis crayfish, is powerless against the claw of his brother. Such battles invariably end with the death of one of the fighters. In the underwater world, there is no commensurate being capable of defeating the mantis, but this is within the power of his congenitor.

Prospective studies

Praying mantis is not only interesting for nature lovers. They are very interested in the military, because the unique structure of the claw-hammer can form the basis for the development of new weapons. American biologists are already working on a secret order from the US Department of Defense.

But a formidable predator, mantis moth can do a good job. His unique eye, whose structure can not yet be reproduced artificially, can become the basis for the development of diagnostic equipment. It has been established that even the cancer cells are seen by the roton-legged. If scientists manage to create a lens similar to the eye of a mantis shrimp, this will make it possible to recognize tumors in the first stages, before the appearance of metastases.

Studies continue. Scientists working with these amazing crustaceans suspect that they have not revealed all their secrets to modern science.