Mantis Shrimp vs Pistol Shrimp: Who Would Win?
Mantis shrimp vs pistol shrimp is one of the internet's favorite animal matchups. One throws one of the fastest punches in nature. The other snaps a claw so fast it makes a bubble that briefly gets incredibly hot. Here's what the science says about each fighter, and who would really win.
Quick Facts
- Red corner: Peacock mantis shrimp, about 10 cm
- Signature move: A club strike at about 23 m/s
- Blue corner: Pistol (snapping) shrimp
- Signature move: A claw snap that fires a collapsing bubble
- Verdict: No documented rivalry, so it's a draw
The Mantis Shrimp Punch
The peacock mantis shrimp swings a pair of club-like limbs at prey. A 2004 study in Nature measured the strike at about 23 meters per second, one of the fastest strikes recorded in any animal. It's strong enough to smash snail shells, and aquarium keepers have reported mantis shrimp cracking tank glass.
The Pistol Shrimp Snap
The pistol shrimp has one oversized claw. When it snaps shut, it shoots out a jet of water so fast that it forms a cavitation bubble, a 2000 study in Science showed. When the bubble collapses, it makes a loud bang, and a 2001 study in Nature recorded a brief flash of light. Temperatures inside the collapsing bubble are estimated to reach thousands of degrees for an instant.
Which Is Louder?
The pistol shrimp wins this round easily. Its snap is one of the loudest sounds in the ocean, and big snapping shrimp colonies have been reported to interfere with naval sonar.
Who Sees Better?
The mantis shrimp. Its eyes move independently and have many more types of color receptors than ours. A 2014 study in Science found its color vision works very differently from ours, possibly trading fine color comparison for fast recognition. The pistol shrimp's eyes are small and partly covered, so it relies on other senses.
So, Who Would Win?
Nobody really knows, because they don't fight. Both live on reefs and hunt small hard-shelled animals, but there's no record of them squaring off. Our verdict: a draw.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is a mantis shrimp punch?
The peacock mantis shrimp's strike has been measured at about 23 meters per second, one of the fastest in the animal kingdom.
How does a pistol shrimp snap work?
Its claw closes so fast that it creates a bubble. When the bubble collapses, it makes a loud bang and a brief flash of light.
Mantis shrimp vs pistol shrimp: who would win?
They don't fight in the wild, so there's no real answer. The mantis hits harder; the pistol shrimp is louder.
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Sources
- Patek, Korff and Caldwell (2004), Nature: Deadly Strike Mechanism of a Mantis Shrimp: strike speed
- Versluis et al. (2000), Science: How Snapping Shrimp Snap: Through Cavitating Bubbles: the snap and the bubble
- Lohse, Schmitz and Versluis (2001), Nature: Snapping Shrimp Make Flashing Bubbles: the flash of light
- Thoen et al. (2014), Science: A Different Form of Color Vision in Mantis Shrimp: mantis shrimp eyes
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Cover photo: Cédric Péneau via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.