It also releases energy it so quickly that for a few milliseconds it:Mantis shrimp, also called stomatopods, come in two varieties: 'smashers' and 'spearers.' While spearers kill prey by driving a spear into soft-bodied sea creatures, smashers kill hard-shelled prey such as crabs and snails by pulverizing them with incredible speed and force. The dactyl club can reach an acceleration of 10,000g, unleashing a barrage of impacts with the speed of a .22 caliber bullet.
1) creates local temperatures that rival the surface of the sun
2) creates a spark of light with no other fuel or ignition source
3) creates a directional cavitation bubble in the water that collapses and sends out a shockwave which hits its target ... meaning the victim gets nailed twice, once by shrimp itself and again by the bubble a bit later
They've also got some of the most advanced eyes in the entire animal kingdom. Anyhow, someone wondered why they weren't shattering their arms more often.
Their latest research, to be published in the journal Advanced Materials, describes for the first time a unique herringbone structure, not previously reported in nature, within the appendage's outer layer. It is this tough herringbone structure that not only protects the club during impact, but also enables the mantis shrimp to inflict incredible damage to its prey.
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"By using 3D printing techniques like those used by Zavattieri's team, we can actually take what we've learned about the architecture of the dactyl club and manufacture new composites with traditional engineering materials like polymers and carbon fiber," Kisailus said. In fact, he says that his team is already fabricating the second generation of composites that incorporates not only the energy-absorbing component, but the stiff outer layer inspired from the mantis. He has demonstrated this by producing a helmet with this hard coating.