A mantis shrimp being ridden by someone might punch you and make you cry...

"Pipi Shrimp, let's go"...

I don’t know when this emoticon package became popular.

What followed was a variety of ways to eat "Mantis Shrimp"... Whether it was steamed or fried, it tasted quite good.

In most people's opinion, the mantis shrimp should be considered a "relatively docile" shrimp, because it is not only ridden but also eaten...

But in fact they are very fierce.

Mantis shrimp is actually just a nickname. Their scientific name is Mantis shrimp, and they belong to the subclass of Shrimp.

Just the word "掠" (plunder) reveals an aura that it is not easy to mess with.

Mantis shrimp has many other nicknames, such as crawling shrimp, mouth shrimp, rich shrimp, etc., but "mantis shrimp" may be the most appropriate to describe them.

Because their raptor limbs used to attack prey are very similar to the "two big swords" on the mantis' chest.

If the mantis uses a broadsword, then the mantis shrimp has more than one weapon, not only a spear, but also powerful fists.

According to their limbs, mantis shrimps can be divided into two types:

One is the piercing type of mantis shrimp that uses a "spear weapon" (the type we often eat).

They have superb raiding skills and usually prefer to lurk quietly in the sand. When their prey inadvertently enters their attack range, they will stab the prey with one claw at lightning speed and then grab the prey.

The entire hunting process was smooth and completed in the blink of an eye.

The other type is the crushing type of mantis shrimp that uses its "fist", such as the peacock mantis shrimp.

These mantis shrimp use their sturdy, hammer-like claws to pound surfaces, particularly fond of smashing the shells of their prey with one punch, then eating the flesh inside.

Seeing this, you may wonder how powerful a shrimp’s punch can be?

A guy from a foreign country didn't believe in superstition, so he personally experienced what it felt like to be hit by a mantis shrimp...

The ending is painful and screaming...

So don't underestimate the crushing mantis shrimp, because scientists have tested its punching speed, which reached a terrifying 80 kilometers per hour, and its acceleration is comparable to that of a flying bullet.

But there is a problem. The impact force brought by such abnormal acceleration and punching speed should be very large. Why can they punch so many times and still act like nothing happened?

In order to solve this confusion, scientists from the University of California conducted a detailed analysis of the capture foot material of the crushing mantis shrimp and tried to simulate it using 3D printing. The relevant research results were published in the journal Advanced Materials.

Scientists used optical microscopy and nanoindentation to observe a mantis shrimp with a crushing-type capture foot.

It turns out that this "fist" of itss is actually layered.

The first layer is the outermost layer of the capture foot, also known as the impact-resistant surface (the hardest), and this layer has a high degree of calcification.

The second layer is the impact-resistant area, which contains the top secret of its powerful skills - a high-toughness herringbone structure.

Image source: Screenshot of the paper

With the help of the nanoindenter, scientists observed that the material has a multi-layer structure, and this structure is similar to the composite armor material of the tank, or even stronger.

Image source: Screenshot of the paper

It can be foreseen that if this structure is promoted, the mechanical properties of composite materials such as toughness and impact resistance will be greatly improved.

In addition to their special structure, their capturing feet are also special. They are composed of α-chitin mineralized with phosphate crystals, which can absorb energy and inhibit the propagation of cracks, thus having good damage resistance and impact resistance.

Image source: Screenshot of the paper

It is precisely because of the addition of many "magic weapons" that the crushing mantis shrimp can remain safe and sound after launching a set of "crushing combination punches".