Mantis Shrimp

17.04.2025

Mantis Shrimp

Why in the news?                        

               A joint US-French research team discovered that the mantis shrimp’s powerful strike is made possible without self-injury due to a specialized microstructure in its club.

 About Mantis shrimp:

• The mantis shrimp is a small, colorful ocean creature, about 10 cm long.
• It is known for its fearsome predatory abilities despite its unassuming appearance.
• It lives in warm, shallow waters in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
• It is a powerful ocean predator which uses a specialized hammer-like appendage called the dactyl club to strike prey at speeds of 23 m/s.
• This powerful strike not only generates shockwaves but also avoids causing recoil damage to the shrimp itself.

Latest Discovery on Mantis shrimp

• Researchers discovered that the club’s specialized microstructure uses phononic shielding to absorb and redirect recoil energy. .
• The mantis shrimp’s club has three layers: a hard outer layer of hydroxyapatite and two inner layers with biopolymer fibers arranged in patterns that resist damage and manipulate shockwave propagation.
• The internal structure acts as a phononic bandgap, blocking certain frequencies of energy waves and preventing damage.

Importance of the Mantis shrimp

• This natural design mirrors metamaterials, previously thought to be man-made, and opens doors to bio-inspired innovations like better protective gear and energy-trapping materials.
• These insights may inspire biomimetic materials for protective gear, reducing injuries from blasts in military and sports.

                                  Source: The Hindu

Consider the following statements regarding the Mantis shrimp:

1. It is a long, colorful ocean creature, about 10 cm long.

2. It lives in cold, shallow waters in the Arctic  and Atlantic Ocean.

3. It is a powerful ocean predator which uses a specialized hammer-like appendage called the dactyl club.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

A.Only one

B.Only two

C.All three

D.None

Answer A