You’re probably wondering, what is the Mantis Shrimp? Well, the Mantis Shrimp is a marine crustacean with peculiar abilities, that despite being very common on the coasts, is not well-known due to the reclusive behavior most of the species portray.They possess the ability to punch as fast as a .22 bullet, and create deadly shockwaves with their strikes with a 1,500 newton force.  Their claws come in 2 different styles, spears, and clubs.  Each strike the Mantis Shrimp makes hits twice, the initial blow, and the shockwave.  Even if the strike misses, the shockwave created is enough to stun or kill most prey.  They possess the most advanced eyes on the entire planet, and see 16 stem colors, while humans see only 3.   They can see polarized light, and have ultraviolet vision.  Recent studies show that Mantis Shrimp can detect cancer and the activity of neurons.  Their body structure is studied by the military to design special combat body armor. Despite being fairly common, the Mantis Shrimp are not a well-known creature.

There are over 450 species of Mantis Shrimp around the world, and live along most coastal areas around the world.  The different species of Mantis Shrimp live around the coasts of just about every continent in the world, surrounding Australia, Asia and Africa, and the eastern coast of the US.  The Mantis Shrimp are eaten as sushi toppings in some places, eaten like shrimp or lobsters, and in some places are too big and contaminated by the water to eat.  Raymond B. Manning first described most Mantis Shrimp species (about 90%).  Despite their amazing qualities and common existence around the world, Mantis Shrimp aren’t very well known besides a few mantis shrimp experts like Tom Cronin, who has made massive breakthroughs with the mantis shrimp.  Well, now you know something interesting you probably didn’t before you read this.

~Jacob