Neither a mantis nor a shrimp, the mantis shrimp has changed little in 400 million years. It has the world’s most complex eyes, and its prey-killing claw motion is the second-fastest animal motion. To quote mantis shrimp eye researcher Tom Cronin, “Whenever they get into any type of situation, they smash things. You can’t pick these up. They’re really great animals to have around.”
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/12/whats-old-is-ne.html?npu=1&mbid=yhp
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Does it fly?
@...colonel-yum-yum: If we drink enough alcohol, yes.
Things we’re also good at: filing taxes,juggling, and playing an assortment of musical instruments.
@...FlyingMantisShrimp: Good to know!
It’s beautiful.
The colors are fantastic.
Capable of smashing the side of a ten gallon tank, just like those spring-loaded tools firemen use to smash car windows. Awesome indeed! Not a pet for the meek.
Its KEWL.
It can see circularly polarized light.
I have no idea what that means but it sounds really cool.
It can also smash aquarium glass using their claw which they spring at 11,000G’s. The claw impacts with 1500N of force.
Yes I read that 10 times also.
I’ve had these in Guangzhou, China… They are freaking delicious. My friends always translated it as “Ocean Shrimp” so I had no idea the real name. They taste more like a cross between lobster and crab than shrimp, and yeah, they thrash like crazy while alive. (I had them at a cook-it-yourself style Mongolian buffet type of restaurant with the electric hot pot of broth in the middle of the table.)
You claim to have eaten one of these….how?
“Um, I know you told me to shoot it….but….it punched my bullet out of the air…”
Happened right before the mantis shrimp smashed the lens..