Why is the pistol shrimp one of the most curious species that we can find in the oceans? Here is one of the main keys.
Nature will always bring us new surprises. Millions of years of evolution have allowed species to develop solutions to prevent their disappearance. In some cases, they have created defense shields to escape predators and, on other occasions, they are qualities that have been created to seize their prey. Today we want to show you how the pistol shrimp has developed a shock wave system to stun its victims.
Who was going to tell us that this kind of shrimp was going to be one of the loudest animals in the ocean? Also, it is important to note that this incredible sound comes from the breaking of its own legs. A team of researchers has focused on this peculiar way of acting to understand a mechanism that has allowed it to survive all these years. It is a proposal whose main objective is to paralyze its victims.
The Pistol Shrimp stands out for having a unique claw in the marine world Let’s talk about fish
Let’s see how is the noise that these incredible animals make, why it is so effective at stunning its prey and, of course, to what extent this technique can harm their own bodies. Here is, without a doubt, one of the most curious weapons that we have seen in the animal world.
A snap of its legs capable of revolutionizing the sound in the ocean
According to information from Current Biology, scientists have concluded that the shrimp is protected by a small helmet transparent that protects you from any significant neural damage by dampening shock waves. This is the reason why, despite its small size, it is capable of emitting so much sound with its legs. It is a differential solution that has been under development for thousands of years.
The study began with the objective of how the increase in ocean temperature would affect these animals. The results showed that, with small increases in the temperature of the water tanks, there was an increase in the clicking sound. Therefore, it is expected that the decibel level of these animals in the water will rise in the coming years. This could make this pistol shrimp, also called snapper, one of the deadliest predators on the sea floor.
Now, why aren’t shrimp affected by their own clicks and the shock waves they produce? To get an answer, they were subjected to an experiment. Surgically, they removed a kind of hood that is present on the shell of some of them. After that, it was decided to subject both groups to this sound. There was a kind of burrow, so in case of threat, they would flee to it under protection. Only those who did not have a hood had difficulty moving, and they were also the most affected by the sound.
It has subsequently been possible to verify how this technology allows shock waves to ‘slide’ through the body of the crustacean. In fact, the water accompanied these waves through the shell, being able to reduce the impact on the animal’s body. This curious way of avoiding exposure to its own attack system is what has allowed it to have one of the most curious weapons that can be found in the oceans.
As can be seen in these images, we are dealing with an animal that is capable of emitting a bubble of water vapor at a temperature of 4,000 degrees centigrade. Such is the force that is generated that the sound is capable of being recorded on the sonar of a submarine.
Related topics: Science
Share
We are on Google News!