The animal that punches like a bullet and sees impossible colors
This animal throws the fastest punch on Earth — and sees colors you can't even imagine.
The short version
The mantis shrimp's club-arms strike at the speed of a bullet, boiling the water and cracking shells and aquarium glass. Its eyes have 16 colour receptors (we have 3) and can see ultraviolet, infrared and polarized light.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Mantis Shrimp throws the fastest punch on Earth, at the speed of a bullet.
- ✓The Mantis Shrimp punches so hard it briefly boils the water and flashes light.
- ✓The Mantis Shrimp can shatter aquarium glass and crack a crab's shell in a single hit.
- ✓The Mantis Shrimp sees with 16 colour receptors — while humans have only 3 — including ultraviolet and polarized light.
The full story
This animal throws the fastest punch on the entire planet, and it sees colors that you literally cannot imagine. Meet the mantis shrimp. Its club-like arms snap forward at the speed of a bullet, hitting so hard that the water around its fist briefly boils and creates a tiny flash of light. That punch can shatter aquarium glass and crack a crab's shell in a single hit. But the truly weird part is its eyes. While you and I see color using just three types of receptors, the mantis shrimp has sixteen. It can see ultraviolet, infrared, and even polarized light. A whole secret rainbow that is completely invisible to us. Scientists are even studying its strange eyes to build better cameras and cancer scanners. A tiny, rainbow-colored, glass-breaking alien. Follow for more weird animals.
Watch the 45-second version
Mantis Shrimp gallery
