You get a lot of bang for your buck with a snapping shrimp. Just a few centimetres long, these little crustaceans (also known as pistol shrimps) use an enlarged front claw to produce a snapping sound about as loud as the clicks dolphins make to navigate in murky water.
It was long thought that the snap was the sound of the two fingers of the claw clacking together. But it’s not that simple. One finger bears a plunger-like projection that fits snugly into a depression on the other when the claw snaps shut, forcing out a jet of water that is powerful enough to stun prey or kill it outright.
The jet travels so quickly (about 90kph) that it leaves in its wake something like a vacuum, called a cavitation bubble. The snapping sound is produced when the surrounding water pressure causes this bubble to collapse suddenly. So much energy is released in a fraction of a second that this collapse produces not only sound but also light and heat. Snapping shrimps also communicate with neighbours using snaps.
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Main image: orage snapping shrimp. Credit: Getty