Mantis shrimps punch with the force of a .22 caliber bullet

They have the strongest punch in the animal kingdom.

You would think the animal with the strongest punch in the animal kingdom would be something like a bear, or a tiger. Or even us humans, given that one, we like mixed martial arts, and two, we like to lift.

But it turns out the animal that holds that record is much smaller than we think. And definitely not a freaken crustacean that is roughly the size of a banana.

Mantis shrimp can punch better than you. Photo by Ken Traub on Flickr.

Despite the name, the mantis shrimp are actually not shrimp. They are stomatopods, an order of marine crustaceans that have prominent raptorial, or prey-catching, appendages.

And it’s with those appendages that they are able to pack a serious punch.

There are two types of mantis shrimp. They are split based on the type of claw they have. Mantis shrimp with spiny appendages with barbed tips to snag and stab their prey are “spearers.” Using their barb claw, the spearers can slice and snag the flesh of animals with soft flesh such as fish.

Then there’s the “smashers” who have clubs that look like bowling balls. They use their more developed club to bludgeon their prey, or smash apart the shells of molluscs, snails, crabs and oysters.

Both types of mantis shrimp strike by unfolding and swinging their raptorial claws at their prey. When they do strike, they can inflict some serious damage, including animals that are significantly larger in size than themselves.

Smashers in particular, hold the record for the fastest strike on earth.

A smasher mantis shrimp’s punch has the same acceleration as a .22 caliber bullet, creating 1,500 newtons of force per punch. If you break this into speed, this is roughly 83 km/h or 51 mph.

They’re even known to smash through glass.

These weird-ass creatures are known to break through glass. Photo by William Warby on Unsplash

And because they strike so rapidly the mantis shrimp also generate vapor-filled bubbles in the water between their appendage and striking surface. Known as cavitation bubbles, the collapse of these bubbles unleashes a shock wave that can also stun or kill the prey, even if they miss their initial strike.

This means their prey will suffer two blows: the first by the claw, then the second by the collapsing bubbles that immediately follow.

So, if the prey doesn’t get fucked up by the first strike, they’ll potentially fucked up by the aftershock.

Mantis shrimp can fuck up their prey in two ways: first with the initial strike, then the after blow. Photo by William Warby on Unsplash

And don’t worry, the damage is not self-inflicting.

The mantis shrimp’s clubs are purposely built for their two-strike combo. Their clubs have complex layers within that absorb the shock and prevent the claw from cracking. Which interestingly enough, also inspired the development of materials for vehicles, sports helmets and armour.

So, if you ever need to bring a weapon to a fight, I’d recommend a mantis shrimp.