A multicolored shrimp
Shutterstock.com (background); Georgette Douwma/NPL/Minden Pictures (mantis shrimp)
Infographic,

The Amazing Peacock Mantis Shrimp

Forget lions and sharks. This is nature’s fiercest creature.

From the November 2020 Issue
Featured Skill: Visual Literacy,
Other Key Skill: supporting a claim

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Georgette Douwma/NPL/Minden Pictures

1. It pulls back these limbs like a spring and then—BAM!—strikes its prey.
2. With these hammer-like limbs, the mantis shrimp packs a powerful punch!
3. The peacock mantis shrimp is one of more than 400 species of mantis shrimp on Earth.

The Numbers

2 to 7 inches

the length to which a peacock mantis shrimp can grow

50 miles per hour

how fast a mantis shrimp can move its limbs

400 million years

how long mantis shrimp have been on Earth—since before the dinosaurs!

The Eyes:

  

The beady eyes of the shrimp

✓ see colors the human eye can't

✓ can see in two directions at the same time

✓ give the mantis shrimp some of the most sophisticated vision of any predator on Earth

Wahrmut Sobainsky/NiS/Minden Pictures

The Superpowers

The mantis shrimp is basically all of these superheroes rolled into one.

Super-fighter

It's an expert warrior, often taking on creatures much larger than itself.

Super-strength

Its limbs are so strong, the military is studying them to make tougher armor.

Super-speed

The mantis shrimp's limbs move so fast, the sea around it boils.

Super-smasher

It uses its hammer-like limbs to smash its food to bits.

Allstar Picture Library Ltd./Alamy Stock Photo (Okoye); Photo 12/AlamyStock Photo (Captain America); BFA/Alamy Stock Photo (Captain Marvel); Marvel Studios/Album/Alamy Stock Photo (Hulk)

Writing Prompt

Write an essay arguing that the mantis shrimp should be your school’s new mascot. Use information in the infographic to support your ideas. 

This article was originally published in the November 2020 issue.

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Activities (4)
Reference
Skills Activities
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