Mantis shrimps, or stomatopods, are marine crustaceans and one of the most interesting creatures of the sea.

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There are around 400 species of Mantis shrimp known to date and most grow to around 10cm in length though some species can reach sizes in excess of 38cm with the largest known specimen being 46cm.
My favourite of the species and the one i know most about is the peacock mantis shrimp. With its incredible coloration and beedy little eyes they are a magnificent sight to see.

(A peacock Mantis shrimp) source

The mantis shrimp has two main appendages developed for powerful close-range combat, they are usually divided into two different types. Those with a spear like appendage and those with club like appendages for smashing prey.
They strike by rapidly unfolding their raptorial claws at prey and are able to fend off and kill animals much larger than themselves.

The punch

The Mantis shrimps "punch" comes at blistering speed, reaching over 80km/h with an acceleration of 10,400 g. this is especially powerful given water produces alot more drag than air, if it was a land creature god knows what it would be capable of.
Because they strike so fast they produce whats known as cavitation bubbles, when these bubbles collapse they produce a shock-wave strong enough to stun or kill their prey, not only that but the punch is so fast it actually boils the water around it essentially cooking their prey alive.

Their punch is so strong in fact that many aquariums cannot keep them due to their ability to break the aquarium glass. that is... intense to say the least.

Here is a video of how its punches work and some exmaples of it killing prey.

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( poor crab :( )

The eyes

If its amazing color and incredible punch weren't enough the Mantis shrimp has one of the most incredible visual systems known to man.

Whilst humans possess three types of color receptors or cones the mantis shrimp has a whopping 16, yea 16!!
This means it is able to see colors that you or I could never even imagine.
Try thinking of a color that doesn't exist, well he can see it.

The eyes are mounted on mobile stalks which are capable of moving in different directions to the other which means it can essentially look in every direction at once.
Their eyes are so complex they are able to see UV light and have incredible depth perception which assists in their active hunting of prey.

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Females are only fertile during certain phases of the tidal cycle so their eyes have evolved to be able to perceive the phases of the moon which helps to eliminate futile mating efforts and also helps give them information on the size of the tide which is important since they live in such shallow waters.

Behaviour

The mantis shrimp is an aggressive hunter and predator, actively seeking out its prey. It spends most of its time burrowed in rocks and coral where it creates its home.
Whilst mostly solitary creatures there is evidence some species enter long term monogamous relationships with the other sex and these relationships can last as long as 20 years.
They have incredible memory and can recognize their "neighbors" or animals thy frequently interact with.
They also take part in ritualized fighting. Imagine seeing two of these badboys going at each other with their clubs. Surely be a more interesting fight than most of the boxing matches we see today :P

The Mantis shrimp is considered by some to be a prized addition to an aquarium and others as a pest because of its vicious hunting nature.
They are easily one of the most interesting and visually incredible animals in the world.
Their behavior ability's and general badassness make them one of my favorite creatures. there are many videos of them hunting on Youtube so take a look if you're interested.

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resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/07/03/natures-most-amazing-eyes-just-got-a-bit-weirder/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontodactylus_scyllarus