Hello to you. And to the Mantis Shrimp.
I've decided to write down all the fun facts I gather. Today is Wednesday, the 8th of October, 2014. I'm in Brooklyn, New York.
What inspired me you say? The Mantis Shrimp. And my friend, Marcus, who told me I should make a Rick-scrapbook. Well, until that book is started, I'm going to have to store my brain-scraps here.
Tell me that each one of these fun facts individually doesn't blow your mind. And put together, blows your mind so many times it reforms:
1 - Mantis Shrimp fall under one of two types: Spearers and Smashers. Spearers sound way more interesting because Smashers sound caveman-like. BUUUUTTT....
2 - Smashers use their club-hands with SUUUCH amazingness that they:
2A - ...knock their prey unconscious or dead because their hits have the same gravitational force of a 22 caliber pistol slug.
2B - ...create a vacuum from the 'punch' that produces a shockwave powerful enough to knock their prey unconscious or dead even if their initial 'punch' misses.
2C - ...form that same vacuum that is so amazingly god-like, it creates both heat and light. WHAAAA????
2Ci - There is a word for this: sonoluminescence. Which is obviously pretty straight forward etymologically.
3 - Back to all Mantis Shrimp (not just the Smashers - which is totally scientific-sounding). This fact is kind of hard to understand - but even more mind-blowing even if not creation-of-light-and-heat-related. Humans have 3 photoreceptors (blue, green and red.) Dogs have 2 (blue and green). A lot of birds have 4 (blue, green, red, and ultraviolet). Mantis Shrimp have 16. What? 16. This includes the four previously mentioned, as well as polarized light. Plus, they see lightwaves that are not only linear (which is what we see) but circular as well (which is how the number goes up to 16). And each 'eyeball' actually has three 'pupils' on it which move in bands, with the center band having the most acute visual ability. This also means that with one eye closed, they still have trinocular vision (as opposed to binocular, which is what we humans have). As far as humans know, the Mantis Shrimp has the best vision of any animal on Earth. But we don't know WHY they do. Amazing.
4 - This is the least physical - but also kind of the most - if you get go back and read this one again after you're done. Some Mantis Shrimp are monogamous. MONOGAMOUS SHRIMP. And they can live together for up to 20 years. The average length of a marriage in couples that divorce in the US is 8 years. (Weird comparison, but I don't know the average length of marriage overall.) BUT ISN'T THAT CRAAAAZY???
5 - Yes, it continues. This one will seem obvious, but it wouldn't really pop up in your head without direct mention. Mantis Shrimp can be hard to keep in aquaria because they can LITERALLY BREAK OUT. Well, only the 'Smashers' can. The Spearers can't do jackshit in this regard.
5A - Aquaria and aquariums are both valid plurals for 'aquarium.'
6 - Finally, if a Smasher wants to make its home in some rock or some coral, it simply punches its way into forming itself a cave/home. Maybe you don't think this is a fun fact - but think about it. It actually punch-builds itself a house.
A (Smasher) Mantis Shrimp:
Those two little balls are the Smasher's 'smash-balls' - which have a technical term, but about which I don't care.
Did these facts blow your mind over and over? Find some videos online, because I saw one where the Smasher hit a giant-ass lobster-thing in the arm. Did the lobster-thing die? No. Did his arm fly off? Yes. Did the lobster-thing then pick up his own arm and give it to the Smasher as bait so it could escape? Yes. And because i'd rather end on 7 or 8 than 6, let me add this unrelated fact:
7 - 'Chalicothere' is Greek for 'Gravel Beast'.
Welcome to Chalicothere!!
