Mantis Shrimp Fight It Out With High-Speed Punches
Until the average man has the strength to scrape the ocean depths without getting crushed by the pressure, the world will never know all of the ocean’s secrets. There could be any number of creatures down there beyond our understanding, and as close to aliens as it gets. Or, alternatively, they could be more human than beast — which might actually be the case with the mantis shrimp.
To be fair, they don’t look remotely close to human; they’re crustaceans whose top halves make them look like mantises, with club-like appendages strong enough to shatter glass. But according to a new study from Duke University, it’s the speed that mantis shrimp care about, not the power. When pitted against one another, the shrimp that attacked the fastest and landed the most hits were the ones who earned the right to live in the artificial homes provided.
It may seem strange for such strong animals to avoid breaking each other in two, but the current theory suggests that pulling punches is the whole point. By relying on speed and consistent blows, the shrimp can fight without fear of killing one another — which means that they can learn about each other, communicate, or simply engage in what they consider a ritual. Those are concepts that aren’t too far-removed from the human world and its myriad fighters; they may not have a conventional ring, but mantis shrimp can trade blows for a reason.
