When I ’m not blogging for mental_floss , I can usually be found wearing bright orangerubber pants and gutting , cutting and selling fish at my local Whole Foods ( and win awards for it ) . Sometimes , my two worlds clash and I find some entrancing stuff and nonsense involve my sea - dwelling friend that begs for a web log post . This is one of those times .
The 500 + species of shooting iron peewee around the world have one “ normal - sized ” claw ( that is , relative to their dead body , the way most shrimp do ) and one claw that is about half the size of their bodies . This outsized claw stays open until the runt , while defending itself from a vulture or hunting for a repast , snap it closed .
fill up the claw results in the creation of a powerful a powerful , 60 mph blue jet of water system and , in its low - pressure level wake , a cavitation house of cards . When this bubble collapses , it produces 1 ) a bright flash of light that lasts for a fraction of a 2d , 2 ) sound pressures of up to 11.74 pounds per square inch at a aloofness of 4 cm from the pincer , 3 ) interior temperatures reaching over 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit , and 4 ) a flash “ pop ” that can cross-file at 218 decibels ( Here ’s a small chartto put that in perspective for you ) .
A “ shot ” from a side arm peewee claw can stun or even vote out small maritime animals at close propinquity , let the runt to escape danger or run through its prey .
The resulting shock wafture easily bedaze and kill small fish . Researchers who study — and have been shoot at by — handgun runt say the pain is not unlike the effect of getting hit by a rubber stria gun .
More fascinating than the prawn ’s defenses are the fashion some of them work with goby fish . The gudgeon has easily eyesight than the shrimp , so the shrimp keep in unremitting physical contact with the fish by resting their transmitting aerial on the fish ’s tail end . The shrimp learn any sudden motion on the part of the goby as a foretoken of danger , and both Pisces and shrimp promontory for the shrimps tunnel . With the fish having play security guard , the half-pint then take hold up its terminal of the bargain by dissemble as an armed guard until the risk has passed .
you could see the pistol shrimp in action mechanism here ( with over the top audio and television editing ) …
… and here ( without any transonic ornamentation ) …
