Mantis Shrimp Pull Their Punches
Mantis Shrimp have a powerful punch but their fights lead to no harm
But mantis shrimp are territorial, and often face each other in combat over the burrows in which they live. Scientists, including Patrick Green, a graduate student in the Department of Biology at Duke University in North Carolina, wanted to understand how mantis shrimp don't kill each other when they fight.
What they found is that the shrimp position their tail shields in front of them to absorb the blows from their opponent. As a signal of determination and energy, the shrimp who delivers the most strikes - not the most powerful hits - eventually forces the other to give up the fight. This non-fatal sparring tactic is also known to animals such as elephants and caribou.
Related Links
- Paper in Royal Society Biology Letters
- Duke University release
- Wired magazine article
- The Atlantic article