Fish of the Day 13 - I got that shrimp in me

Today's sea creature is the Mantis Shrimp! Look how cute they are :3

Although they have a beautiful appearence with all those pretty colours, I would get pretty scared if I saw one in the wild, especially if it gets close. You'll learn why soon!

Mantis Shrimp facts:

- For such small creatures, they have an amazing ability: they can deliver punches and slices with the force equivalent to a 22 caliber bullet. They use this skill to crack open the shells of it's prey, but they also have the power to break through aquarium glass, and slice through your fingers!! They are nicknamed "thumb splitters" for a reason.

- Another thing the Mantis Shrimp can flex is their amazing sight. Many sea creatures i've covered in the past have poor eyesight, but its the opposite for this animal. The Mantis Shrimp has superior vision to humans, being able to see 12 channels of colour. For reference, humans can only see 3!

- These creatures have something in common with "killer whales": their names are deceptive! The Mantis Shrimp is not a mantis (duh), nor a shrimp (less duh!). They are actual a stomatopod, closely related to lobsters and crabs.

- There are around 450 species of Mantis Shrimp. There are also two main groups: "spearers" and "smashers". One uses their powerful arms to slice (or impale) their prey, and the others uses brute force. Both have an incredible strike speed.

- To power their hits, the Mantis Shrimp uses natural springs and latches in it's exoskeleton. They're springloaded!!! This gif is a good demonstration of how it works.

- These creatures are older than the dinosaurs, and probably alot smarter too. They have demonstrated a very high inteligence, having complex social structures (yet another similarity to the Orca!) and rituals. 

Man, 'tis shrimp is cool!! I already knew about their ability to punch while researching, but I learn a ton of other awesome things. These creatures are shrimply amazing!

Do you got that shrimp in you? I probably don't. My legs are stronger than my arms, so I probably got the first fish to walk on land in me.