Why is this interesting?

Why is this interesting?

The Mantis Shrimp Edition

On bullet-speed punches, cavitations, and water bubbles.

Colin Nagy's avatar
Colin Nagy
Nov 20, 2024
∙ Paid

Colin here. I’m in my scuba diving era, so a lot of my attention has moved towards undersea Youtube videos. And while the disco clam first caught my eye, I’ve moved onto the epic punch from the Mantis Shrimp. Aside from looking like something from a distant space colony, it has what’s been documented as the fastest strike in the entire animal kingdom. They are quite territorial, and, as this unfortunate crab finds out, don’t like when people infringe on their sandy turf:

Mantis Shrimp Punches Crab’s Arm Off

According to PBS: 

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Noah Brier.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 WITI Industries, LLC · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture