Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,
Speaker 1: Lauren Vogel bomb here. Amanda's shrimp is not your average shrimp.
Speaker 1: In fact, it's not technically a shrimp at all. It's
Speaker 1: what's known as a stamatopod, crustacean only distantly related to
Speaker 1: the shrimp, and this stematopod is deadly. The cigar sized
Speaker 1: manta shrimp packs a surprisingly big punch with raptorial appendages
Speaker 1: and fierce muscles that can deliver a sixty mile per
Speaker 1: hour blow that's over nine per hour. Basically, this punch
Speaker 1: is so speedy that it forms cavitation bubbles that creates
Speaker 1: such intense shock waves that the bubbles alone can stun
Speaker 1: or kill prey instantly or crush aquarium glass. And if
Speaker 1: defending itself, Amanda's shrimp could cut through a human's finger
Speaker 1: within milliseconds, an injury that can necessitate amputation. That's why
Speaker 1: marine biologist Katie Watson says it's best to keep distance.
Speaker 1: She said, nicknamed the thumb splitter, they can cause painful
Speaker 1: injuries if they're not treated with care. They can also
Speaker 1: shatter fins or a camera lens, so don't get too
Speaker 1: close and as a fundamental rule of diving, look but
Speaker 1: don't touch. Muscle power is only one factor behind the
Speaker 1: Mandas shrimp's ferocity. The crustacean has a system of biological springs, latches,
Speaker 1: and levers that work in tandem to deliver piercing strikes.
Speaker 1: This is the fastest limb movement in the animal kingdom,
Speaker 1: says Watson. But that's not all. Manda's shrimp eyes are
Speaker 1: a scientific wonder. Like all crustaceans, they have compound eyes,
Speaker 1: but further than that, they have the most complex visual
Speaker 1: system in the known world, with up to sixteen photo
Speaker 1: receptors and the ability to see ultraviolet, visible and polarized light.
Speaker 1: They're the only animals known to see circularly polarized light,
Speaker 1: and they can see colors and images accessible to no
Speaker 1: other animal on Earth. And that complex visual system is
Speaker 1: the mantus shrimp's key for communication. Since the crustaceans have
Speaker 1: the power to see and alter polarized light that other
Speaker 1: animals can't, they use this light manipulation to communicate, almost
Speaker 1: like a secret code. In research published in the journal
Speaker 1: Scientific Reports in the researchers discovered that mantus shrimp polarizers
Speaker 1: alter light across a structure, not through its depth like
Speaker 1: typical polarizers. Most other creatures can't see this type of light,
Speaker 1: so those that use it are less likely to attract
Speaker 1: predators or those competing for food. This realization was more
Speaker 1: than just mind blowing. Scientists say it could lead to
Speaker 1: new optical human technologies across everything from cameras to sunglasses.
Speaker 1: But mantus shrimp also speak through rumbles. At dawn and dusk,
Speaker 1: mandus shrimp make rumbling, growling grunt noises to defend their
Speaker 1: territory and attract mates. Researchers describe this as a low
Speaker 1: frequency rumbling that's created via muscle vibrations. Fellow manta shrimp
Speaker 1: here those rumbles through sensory body hairs. So far, scientists
Speaker 1: have only witnessed males producing these sounds, though manta shrimp
Speaker 1: colors run the gamut from browns to vibrant reds, blues,
Speaker 1: and greens. Some species are even biofluorescent, a trait that
Speaker 1: lets the crustacean absorb blue light as it hits their bodies,
Speaker 1: then re emit it as a different color. Watson said
Speaker 1: the wavelengths of their fluorescent coloration travels better under water
Speaker 1: than color pigmentation, The fluorescence increases the apparent size of
Speaker 1: the manta shrimp, which helps attract females during mating and
Speaker 1: warns off competitive males. She also noted that this illumination
Speaker 1: may attract prey, but research to prove the phenomenon is ongoing.
Speaker 1: Despite all their fascinating qualities, though you'll rarely see manta
Speaker 1: shrimp at aquariums, but back in two thousand one, too,
Speaker 1: manta shrimps sneakily made their way into the Monterey Bay
Speaker 1: Aquarium by hitchhiking on imported rocks. The result was like
Speaker 1: a Sci Fi thriller. Crabs, snails, and barnacles essential to
Speaker 1: the aquarium ecosystem and filtration went missing. But the aquarium
Speaker 1: couldn't put its workers at risk trying to catch the
Speaker 1: manta shrimp bare handed. Instead, they had metal tongs at
Speaker 1: the ready to grab the shrimp when exposed, then place
Speaker 1: it with another manta shrimp that snagged the year prior.
Speaker 1: And this is not an uncommon scene when manta shrimp
Speaker 1: sneak into aquariums. That's why the crustacean is rarely kept
Speaker 1: in captivity when they are aquariums need shattered proof, acrylic
Speaker 1: blast and a tank free of critters. Given their threatening traits,
Speaker 1: and the chance of actually seeing one in nature is
Speaker 1: also pretty low. Manta shrimp are remarkable hiders. They spend
Speaker 1: most of their time tucked away in rocky and sandy burrows.
Speaker 1: Manta shrimp prefers shallow marine waters, mostly in tropical and
Speaker 1: subtropical regions. They can also live in coral reefs or
Speaker 1: rock crevices. These habitats are ideal hunting grounds. The manta
Speaker 1: shrimp stays tucked away until prey gets close, then boom.
Speaker 1: It strikes instantly, kills and feasts all in mere seconds. However,
Speaker 1: Earth's warming oceans threaten nearly all sea life, and the
Speaker 1: manta shrimp is not spared. Watson said. Calcified marine organisms
Speaker 1: like the manta shrimp face a double edged sword as
Speaker 1: climate change is projected to increase ocean warming and acidification.
Speaker 1: This is predicted to result in increased energy demands, growth restriction,
Speaker 1: physiological stress, and changes in mineralization. For manta shrimp to
Speaker 1: maintain the integrity of their highly specialized weapon, appendage, precise
Speaker 1: mineral composition and mechanical properties in different layers of exoskeleton
Speaker 1: are needed. She said that some research indicates that manta
Speaker 1: shrimp can tolerate long term increases in temperature and a certification,
Speaker 1: but the degradation of coral reefs paired with over fishing
Speaker 1: could affect them just like other reef dwellers lost habitat
Speaker 1: and decreased vertebrate and invertebrate diversity. Just another reason to
Speaker 1: support personal and public policies to help mitigate climate change.
Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Stephanie Vermillion and produced by
Speaker 1: Tyler Clang. For more in this and lots of other
Speaker 1: punchy topics, visit houstuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is
Speaker 1: production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows,