What do the fast strikes create in water?

Cavitation bubbles that collapse with a second impact

What did a 2014 study find about their color discrimination?

They are worse at telling similar colors apart than humans

What have engineers copied from the club?

Its tough layered structure for impact-resistant materials

Mantis Shrimp Quiz: Color Vision and Super Punches

Scientists once believed an animal with a dozen or more color receptors must see a rainbow beyond our imagination, and this mantis shrimp quiz shows what they really found. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on smashers and spearers, cavitation bubbles, broken aquarium glass, the peacock mantis shrimp, polarized light, ultraviolet vision and armor-inspired materials.

Start Mantis Shrimp Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Group
Mantis shrimp belong to which group?
Types
Which two hunting types do scientists describe?
Speed
How fast can a smasher's club strike?
Bubbles
What do the fast strikes create in water?
Glass
Why are mantis shrimp tricky aquarium pets?
Receptors
How many photoreceptor types do mantis shrimp have?
Polarized
What special light can they detect?
Colors
What did a 2014 study find about their color discrimination?
Species
Which colorful species is famous among divers?
Materials
What have engineers copied from the club?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Mantis shrimp belong to which group?
Answer: Stomatopods
They are crustaceans but not true shrimp.
Q2: Which two hunting types do scientists describe?
Answer: Smashers and spearers
Smashers crack shells; spearers stab soft prey.
Q3: How fast can a smasher's club strike?
Answer: Over 20 meters per second
It is one of nature's fastest strikes.
Q4: What do the fast strikes create in water?
Answer: Cavitation bubbles that collapse with a second impact
The collapse releases heat and light.
Q5: Why are mantis shrimp tricky aquarium pets?
Answer: They can crack aquarium glass
Special tanks are sometimes used.
Q6: How many photoreceptor types do mantis shrimp have?
Answer: About 12 to 16
Humans have three cone types.
Q7: What special light can they detect?
Answer: Polarized light, including circular polarization
Few animals detect circular polarization.
Q8: What did a 2014 study find about their color discrimination?
Answer: They are worse at telling similar colors apart than humans
They may recognize colors quickly instead.
Q9: Which colorful species is famous among divers?
Answer: The peacock mantis shrimp
It lives in Indo-Pacific reefs.
Q10: What have engineers copied from the club?
Answer: Its tough layered structure for impact-resistant materials
The club resists cracking.

Mantis Shrimp Quiz – Color Vision and Super Punches

Mantis shrimp are stomatopods, crustaceans that are not true shrimp. Smashers use club-like limbs to crack shells, while spearers stab soft prey. A smasher's strike can exceed 20 meters per second.

The strike creates cavitation bubbles that collapse with a second shock, heat and a faint flash. Large mantis shrimp can even crack aquarium glass. Engineers study the club's layered structure to design tough materials.

Mantis shrimp have about 12 to 16 photoreceptor types and can see ultraviolet and polarized light, including circular polarization. A 2014 study found they are worse than humans at telling similar colors apart, suggesting a fast recognition system instead.

What This Quiz Teaches

Animal fans and students will enjoy these questions.

What mantis shrimp are
How they hunt
Why their punch is so powerful
How their eyes work
What engineers learn from them

Did You Know?

Some species live in burrows for years.
Their eyes move independently.
Peacock mantis shrimp are brightly colored.
They can grow new clubs after molting.
Some species form long-term pairs.