Mantis shrimp are the heavyweight champions of the sea. Some species can kill competitors with a single blow, striking with specialized forelimbs at speeds up to 50 mph (80 kph) and peak forces of 1,500 newtons. Now, researchers are taking a closer look at the biomechanics of the mantis shrimp's knock out punch. And they're borrowing methodologies from the fields of physics and engineering to do it.
Though they are skilled attackers, mantis shrimp rarely go straight for the kill. Rather than risking death at the appendages of a more powerful shrimp in a dispute over the best burrow, many mantis species perform ritualized fighting, swapping repeated, intense blows against each other's tail plates. "It's a way to size up your opponent before you commit to a full-fledged battle," said linkurl:Jennifer Taylor,;http://new.ipfw.edu/departments/coas/depts/biology/about/faculty/Taylor.html an assistant professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne and first author of a study exploring the ...
