a harlequin mantis shrimp or stomatopods, have the most sophisticated visual system in the world. the stomatopod eye contains 16 different types of photoreceptors (12 for color analysis, compared to humanity's 3 cones). mantis shrimps can thus see polarized light and 4 colors of uv (ultraviolet) light, and they may also be able to distinguish up to 100,000 colors (compared to the 10,000 seen by human beings).
Carmen Mandel, williamcho, and 81 other people added this photo to their favorites.
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perry aragon
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Carmen Mandel 27 months ago | reply
This is one of the most beautiful creatures I have seen. A delightful array of colours and patterns. It was very interesting to read about their sophisticated visual system. I wonder in how many additional colours they see each other.
williamcho 27 months ago | reply
Stunning series especially this one in particular. Congrats!
Marco Paravella 27 months ago | reply
Seen in FiNS Magazine Group
astro.nerd.2013 27 months ago | reply
i love the colors on him! that's probably one of the coolest looking shrimp i have ever seen.
Mary Ware 27 months ago | reply
Wow! That is one beautiful shrimp!
toucan_tango 27 months ago | reply
oh my gosh that is wierd and wonderful
gillybooze 27 months ago | reply
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called. Under the Surface.
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Shahzad Ali Photography 100000 Views 27 months ago | reply
caffeineandpixels 27 months ago | reply
Spearers are armed with spiny appendages topped with barbed tips, used to stab and snag prey.
Smashers, on the other hand, possess a much more developed club and a more rudimentary spear (which is nevertheless quite sharp and still used in fights between their own kind); the club is used to bludgeon and smash their meals apart. The inner aspect of the dactyl (the terminal portion of the appendage) can also possess a sharp edge, with which the animal can cut prey while it swims.
Both types strike by rapidly unfolding and swinging their raptorial claws at the prey, and are capable of inflicting serious damage on victims significantly greater in size than themselves. In smashers, these two weapons are employed with blinding quickness, with an acceleration of 10,400 g (102,000 m/s2 or 335,000 ft/s2) and speeds of 23 m/s from a standing start,[7] about the acceleration of a .22 calibre bullet.[8][9] Because they strike so rapidly, they generate cavitation bubbles between the appendage and the striking surface.[7] The collapse of these cavitation bubbles produces measurable forces on their prey in addition to the instantaneous forces of 1,500 newtons that are caused by the impact of the appendage against the striking surface, which means that the prey is hit twice by a single strike; first by the claw and then by the collapsing cavitation bubbles that immediately follow.[10] Even if the initial strike misses the prey, the resulting shock wave can be enough to kill or stun the prey.
The snap can also produce sonoluminescence from the collapsing bubble. This will produce a very small amount of light and high temperatures in the range of several thousand kelvins within the collapsing bubble, although both the light and high temperatures are too weak and short-lived to be detected without advanced scientific equipment. The light emission and temperature increase probably have no biological significance but are rather side-effects of the rapid snapping motion. Pistol shrimp produce this effect in a very similar manner.
Smashers use this ability to attack snails, crabs, molluscs and rock oysters; their blunt clubs enabling them to crack the shells of their prey into pieces. Spearers, on the other hand, prefer the meat of softer animals, like fish, which their barbed claws can more easily slice and snag.
Day Is Coming 27 months ago | reply
One of my favourite marine creatures! Beautiful shot!!
Photo--Graphy [deleted] 25 months ago | reply
So nice...
PaparazSea ♑ 25 months ago | reply
nice nice
Eric Burgers 25 months ago | reply
Wonderful colours. Definitly on my wish list.
Thank you for bringing this Sunken Treasure to the Surface!
Your spectacular photo deserves a Sunken Treasure Award.
Please add the tag "SunkenTreasure Award" to this photo.
Aqua Marine Life 15 months ago | reply
Photo now part of Aqua Marine Life:
aqua-marine-life.com/underwater-fact-73/
AWESOME work, thanks for that!
Collegegirl2008 12 months ago | reply
Wow. I've never seen an animal so beautiful like this. It is amazing
caffeineandpixels 12 months ago | reply
Today's NY TImes:
www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/science/peacock-mantis-shrimp-...
New Zealand Wild 4 months ago | reply
Just the most incredible creatures. Great capture !