The Peacock mantis shrimp is documented in the Guinness World Records as possessing the mightiest strike generated by its own power in the animal kingdom.(Image credit: Reinhard Dirscherl/Getty Images)ShareShare by:
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Mantis shrimps deliver a forceful blow — and experts have at last unraveled how this incredibly strong strike avoids ruining the shrimps themselves when they attack. As it happens, these shrimps possess a unique impact-absorbing “shield” that aids their survival as they execute blows strong enough to crush shells.
The strike of a peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) stands as the most potent self-generated strike among animals. They employ mallet-like appendages, also known as dactyl clubs, to destroy the protective layers of their targets. The force of this strike can even damage aquarium enclosures, releasing an impact equivalent to that of a .22 caliber projectile.
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In a recent study documented Feb. 6 in the journal Science, researchers investigated the architecture of the shrimps’ clubs. Their outcomes indicated that the microscopic composition of these clubs functions as inherent dampeners of impact to minimize harm.
“We observed it exploits phononic processes — structures capable of selectively channeling stress waves,” stated study collaborator Horacio Dante Espinosa, a professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Northwestern University, in a statement. “This empowers the shrimp to sustain its hitting power across multiple strikes and avert harm to soft tissues.”
Powerful punch
Peacock mantis shrimp employ a sophisticated arrangement of biological fasteners and springs in their dactyl clubs to unleash a blow with a pace of 75 feet each second (23 meters per second), according to a study from 2004 — a rate 50 times quicker than the blink of a human eye.
While this incredible velocity aids in producing a potent strike, it also yields perilous stress undulations.
“The strike occurs so rapidly that it produces cavitation bubbles, which, upon their implosion, induce extra stress waves, consequently imparting a dual impact,” Espinosa detailed.
Prior investigations posited that the micro-arrangement of the dactyl clubs supports in protecting the shrimps against these stress waves.
In the current exploration, the scientists evaluated this hypothesis by employing advanced laser-centered techniques to dissect how varied wavelengths diffuse through the peacock mantis shrimp’s dactyl clubs.
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The outcomes highlighted a pair of crucial zones in these clubs that assist their survival during their self-made strikes: the impact zone and the periodic zone.
The impact zone comprises a stratum of chitin fibers arranged in a herringbone configuration, fortifying the club against fractures.
Underneath this stratum exists the periodic zone, fashioned from spiraled configurations of layered chitin fibers. This particular helicoidal arrangement is denoted as a Bouligand structure and is present in fish scales and lobster outer layers to contribute strength and fracture endurance.
The laser tests gauged the pace of acoustic stress undulations across both zones. These undulations passed through the impact zone unaltered yet migrated at varying rates across the periodic zone — implying the latter induces dispersion of high-frequency undulations to mitigate intensity.
The researchers also ascertained that the periodic zone siphoned off high-frequency stress undulations — which can inflict significant harm on tissues, according to the statement.
These high-frequency undulations were potentially triggered when cavitation bubbles collapsed.
“We correlated this elevated frequency to the frequency spawned by bubble implosion amidst the impact occurrence,” Epinosa stated.
The fiber groupings in the periodic zone serve as a “phononic shield,” effectively impeding, re-routing, and scattering undulations, and eventually preventing any detrimental stress waves from traversing efficiently through the stratum. This shields the mantis shrimp’s sensitive tissues from the consequent stress waves stemming from the cavitation bubble.
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“The research offered trial confirmation that the Bouligand composition of the mantis shrimp’s dactyl club operates as a phononic buffer, selectively filtering high-frequency shear waves induced during impact,” Espinosa elaborated.
“These attributes aid in defending the mantis shrimp’s club from damage by diminishing high-frequency stress waves, establishing it as a naturally optimized, impact-resilient structure,” Epinosa mentioned.
According to the media release, this study’s insights could be adapted into the fabrication of noise-filtering materials for protective wear and initiate novel methodologies to lessen blast-related trauma within the military and extreme-impact sports.
Elise PooreSocial Links NavigationEditorial assistant
Elise pursued marine science at the University of Portsmouth within the U.K. She has practiced as an independent reporter specializing in the aquatic sphere.
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