BeyondET
Member
If you haven't heard or read about the Stomatopod aka Mantis Shrimp or thumb splitter it is quite the amazing creature.
I'll share some amazing feats these little animals can do. they are divided in two groups the spearers and smashers.
I'll cover the smashers amazing ability, scientist are not only looking into creating better optics because of the animal but other things as well. it is a one of a kind
Smasher mantis shrimp have two raptorial appendages (called ‘dactyl clubs’) on the front of its body that it uses to punch its prey. These fists are spring loaded, able to accelerate from their body at over 50 mph, delivering a force of over 1,500 newtons,
That’s 2.5k times the force of the shrimps own weight, if a human could do that they’d be able to punch through steel.
Beneath their hard coated clubs, mantis shrimp have special layers of elastic polysaccharide chitin, which are positioned in a way to act as shock absorbers.
This structure is called a bouligand structure, and it keeps small cracks from becoming a full break. Researchers have even studied their cell structure for advanced body armour for combat troops, car frames and aircraft panels.
I'll share some amazing feats these little animals can do. they are divided in two groups the spearers and smashers.
I'll cover the smashers amazing ability, scientist are not only looking into creating better optics because of the animal but other things as well. it is a one of a kind
Smasher mantis shrimp have two raptorial appendages (called ‘dactyl clubs’) on the front of its body that it uses to punch its prey. These fists are spring loaded, able to accelerate from their body at over 50 mph, delivering a force of over 1,500 newtons,
That’s 2.5k times the force of the shrimps own weight, if a human could do that they’d be able to punch through steel.
Their punch is so fast it results in ‘cavitation’ bubbles. This is a super heated bubble and small flash of light, which for split seconds also generates temperatures of 4,400c (which is nearly as hot as the sun)
When the bubbles collapses they cause an intense shockwave which is like a double punch and can stun, dismember or kill prey instantly – even if the mantis shrimp misses the target.Beneath their hard coated clubs, mantis shrimp have special layers of elastic polysaccharide chitin, which are positioned in a way to act as shock absorbers.
This structure is called a bouligand structure, and it keeps small cracks from becoming a full break. Researchers have even studied their cell structure for advanced body armour for combat troops, car frames and aircraft panels.
They are thought to have the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom and have the most complex visual system ever discovered
They can see a special spiralling type of light called circularly polarised light that’s not been documented in any other animal. They also have a structure in their eyes that’s similar to technology found in DVD players, only much more advanced.Eyes of mantis shrimp are located on the long stalks that can move independently.
Each eye has ‘trinocular vision’, which means it can gauge depth and distance on its own by focusing on objects with three separate regions.The mantis shrimp has 12-16 different colour photoreceptors for colour analysis in their retinas. Three times more than a human.
While they have significantly more colour photoceptors, research suggests they are actually worse at differentiating colour than humans. However, scientists believe this is because their eyes are operating at a different level, functioning more like a satellite. It’s believed Mantis shrimp can take all visual information into their brains immediately without having to process it, allowing them tor react instantly to the environment.Mantis shrimp can detect cancer cells with their eyes.
Researchers from the University of Queensland believe that the compound eyes of mantis shrimp can detect cancer lesions and the activity of neurons, because they have the ability to detect polarised light that reflects differently from cancerous and healthy tissue – before they appear as visible tumours. It’s inspired a group of researchers to build a proof of concept camera sensor, inspired by the mantis shrimps ability.
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