---
title: "What the sources say about the Peacock Mantis Shrimp | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "41 claims from the Peacock Mantis Shrimp profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Peacock Mantis Shrimp (*Odontodactylus scyllarus*)

> 41 claims from the Peacock Mantis Shrimp profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Peacock Mantis Shrimp](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/mantis-shrimp/)

## Patek, Korff & Caldwell (2004). Deadly strike mechanism of a mantis shrimp. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/428819a

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Researchers found that this species makes an extremely fast strike by storing energy in a saddle-shaped exoskeletal spring, then releasing it | the peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) generates an extremely fast strike that requires major energy storage and release, which we explain in terms of a saddle-shaped exoskeletal spring mechanism |
| which are vapor bubbles that form next to the prey when the appendage moves swiftly toward it | High-speed images reveal the formation and collapse of vapour bubbles next to the prey due to swift movement of the appendage towards it |

## Patek & Caldwell (2005). Extreme impact and cavitation forces of a biological hammer: strike forces of the peacock mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus. Journal of Experimental Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.01831

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a shrimp whose every shell-breaking strike hits twice, two force peaks typically less than half a millisecond apart: the club's impact, then the collapse of the cavitation bubbles it leaves behind | each strike generates two brief, high-amplitude force peaks, typically 390-480 micros apart. Based on high-speed imaging, force measurements and acoustic analyses, it is evident that the first force peak is caused by the limb's impact and the second force peak is due to the collapse of cavitation bubbles |
| whose club strike hits twice: once with the limb, then again with collapsing bubbles | each strike generates two brief, high-amplitude force peaks ... the first force peak is caused by the limb's impact and the second force peak is due to the collapse of cavitation bubbles |
| A club strike that hits twice | each strike generates two brief, high-amplitude force peaks |
| Each strike lands two blows | each strike generates two brief, high-amplitude force peaks |
| There are two force peaks, typically 390-480 microseconds apart | two brief, high-amplitude force peaks, typically 390-480 micros apart |
| The first is the limb hitting. The second is the collapse of cavitation bubbles | the first force peak is caused by the limb's impact and the second force peak is due to the collapse of cavitation bubbles |
| Limb impact peaks between 400 and 1501 newtons | Peak limb impact forces range from 400 to 1501 N |
| Despite its small size, this shrimp can generate impact forces thousands of times its body weight | Despite their small size, O. scyllarus can generate impact forces thousands of times their body weight |
| Cavitation forces peak at 504 newtons, and on average they reach about half of the limb's own impact force | peak cavitation forces reach 504 N ... on average, cavitation peak forces are 50% of the limb's impact force |
| In some strikes they exceed the limb impact by up to 280% | cavitation forces may exceed the limb impact forces by up to 280% |
| The authors suggest the two blows together fracture shells | suggests that mantis shrimp use a potent combination of cavitation forces and extraordinarily high impact forces to fracture shells |

## Weaver et al. (2012). The Stomatopod Dactyl Club: A Formidable Damage-Tolerant Biological Hammer. Science.

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1218764

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The club is hypermineralized, with minerals combined with a helicoidal chitin matrix | hypermineralized hammer-like dactyl clubs ... Consisting of a multiphase composite of oriented crystalline hydroxyapatite and amorphous calcium phosphate and carbonate, in conjunction with a highly expanded helicoidal organization of the fibrillar chitinous organic matrix |
| Together they give it several lines of defense against catastrophic failure during repeated high-energy impacts | in conjunction with a highly expanded helicoidal organization of the fibrillar chitinous organic matrix, these structures display several effective lines of defense against catastrophic failure during repetitive high-energy loading events |

## Thoen et al. (2014). A Different Form of Color Vision in Mantis Shrimp. Science.

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1245824

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Some mantis shrimp species have 12 different types, sampling wavelengths from deep ultraviolet to far red (300 to 720 nanometers) | some of which have 12 different photoreceptor types, each sampling a narrow set of wavelengths ranging from deep ultraviolet to far red (300 to 720 nanometers) |
| Some mantis shrimp species have 12 photoreceptor types | some of which have 12 different photoreceptor types |
| when researchers tested how well stomatopods tell wavelengths apart, they did surprisingly poorly | Behavioral wavelength discrimination tests (Δλ functions) in stomatopods revealed a surprisingly poor performance |
| Their experiments suggest a system that recognizes colors rather than comparing them finely | our experiments suggest that stomatopods use a previously unknown color vision system based on temporal signaling combined with scanning eye movements, enabling a type of color recognition rather than discrimination |

## Chiou et al. (2008). Circular Polarization Vision in a Stomatopod Crustacean. Current Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2008.02.066

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Some stomatopods can also detect circularly polarized light | in stomatopod crustaceans, we describe for the first time a visual system capable of detecting and analyzing circularly polarized light |

## Daly et al. (2016). Dynamic polarization vision in mantis shrimps. Nature Communications.

https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12140

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| eyes that rotate to read polarized light | Both Gonodactylus smithii and Odontodactylus scyllarus rotate their eyes to align particular photoreceptors relative to the angle of polarization of a linearly polarized visual stimulus |
| This species rotates its eyes to line up its photoreceptors with the angle of linearly polarized light | Both Gonodactylus smithii and Odontodactylus scyllarus rotate their eyes to align particular photoreceptors relative to the angle of polarization of a linearly polarized visual stimulus |
| That maximizes the polarization contrast between an object and its background | thereby maximizing the polarization contrast between an object of interest and its background |

## Odontodactylus scyllarus. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Odontodactylus_scyllarus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Indo-Pacific reefs, often in U-shaped burrows on sandy and gravelly ground near coral bases | found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, south of Japan, north of Australia, and between eastern Africa and Guam. ... most commonly found in their U-shaped burrows, often built near the bases of coral reefs on sandy and gravelly areas |
| Gastropods, crustaceans and bivalves, with crabs the preferred prey | prey items include gastropods, crustaceans, and bivalves ... crabs are their preferred prey |
| Not Evaluated | Peacock mantis shrimp have not been evaluated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, but are not considered endangered or threatened by any agency. IUCN Red List Not Evaluated (note: Not assessed: GBIF's copy of the Red List returns no category for Odontodactylus scyllarus and Crossref has no 10.2305 assessment DOI for the name (prefetch 2026-09-29).) |
| The peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) is very brightly colored | They are very brightly colored |
| Its body is olive or green, its antenna scales are bright orange, and its smashing limbs are red | a base body color of olive or green, brightly covered orange antennae scales, red raptorial appendages (used to smash prey) |
| These shrimp average 3-18 cm in length | These mantis shrimp average 3-18 cm in length |
| It lives in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, south of Japan, north of Australia, and between eastern Africa and Guam | Peacock mantis shrimp are found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, south of Japan, north of Australia, and between eastern Africa and Guam |
| It is most commonly found in a U-shaped burrow, often built near the base of a coral reef on sandy and gravelly ground | most commonly found in their U-shaped burrows, often built near the bases of coral reefs on sandy and gravelly areas |
| This shrimp is a carnivore. Prey includes gastropods, crustaceans and bivalves, and crabs are the preferred meal | Peacock mantis shrimp are carnivorous; prey items include gastropods, crustaceans, and bivalves. ... although crabs are their preferred prey |
| It uses the club to break open shells | using their rapptorial appendages as described above to break open their prey's shell |
| Kept in aquaria, it can break the glass | they are capable of breaking aquarium glass |
| It is known to be territorial. Individuals strike each other's tail areas, and the telson is the most heavily armored part of the body | Peacock mantis shrimp are known to be territorial, with individuals using their powerful smashers to strike each others' tail areas; for this reason, the telson is the most heavily armored part of their bodies |
| It does not have many known predators, though it has been found in the stomachs of yellowfin tuna | Peacock mantis shrimp do not have many known predators; they have, however, been found in the stomachs of yellowfin tuna |
| In the burrow, it may use vibrations called stomatopod rumbles to warn off predators or others of its kind | individuals may create vibrations while in their burrows, warning potential predators or other conspecifics to keep their distance |
| Animal Diversity Web says they are known to crack the glass of their tanks and are known to be aggressive to other animals kept with them | these mantis shrimp have been known to crack the glass of their tanks ... are known to be aggressive to other animals kept with them |
| The web account also gives the punch's limb impact as 400 to 1501 newtons | one from the impact of the limb itself (400-1501 Newtons) |
| Animal Diversity Web puts them at depths of 3-40 m, though they are most typically found at 10-30 m, in water of 22-28°C | found at depths of 3-40 m, though they are most typically found at depths of 10-30 m. They prefer water temperatures of 22-28°C |
| dangerLevel: Medium | When kept in aquaria, these mantis shrimp have been known to crack the glass of their tanks. (note: Task #974: Deadly ('Capable of killing a human') had no source. The strike (400 to 1501 N, Patek & Caldwell 2005) is a real weapon, but no cached source records a human injury, let alone a death, so Medium: 'Can injure, but rarely seriously'.) |