There are two types of mantis shrimp, inhabitants of shallow tropical seas, which have different methods of employing their impressive claws.
They are divided into smasher shrimps and spearer shrimps. Unlike the tearing force of many animals’ claws, the terrifying power of a smasher shrimp’s club-like claws comes in lashing into their prey at lightning speed, 50 times faster than a human can blink.
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This delivers a devastating blow to anything with a protective shell, rendering the soft hidden body parts accessible for the shrimp to pick over.
Spearers, on the other hand, have equally destructive claws, but these deliver a fatal stab with a barbed tip that also impales the prey ready to be grasped by the shrimp’s forelimbs and dismembered.
Anything with a soft skin would be well-advised to stay away from both types of mantis shrimp. They have come to be nicknamed ‘thumb splitters’ because a defensive blow from either of them can result in an extremely painful gash.
