Despite their namesake, mantis shrimp aren’t shrimp, but actually a group of animals called stomatopods, distant relatives to crabs, shrimp, and lobsters.
They are known for their strength, with ‘wrecking ball’ like fists which spring from their bodies at 50mph- they have even been known to break glass in aquariums!
Mantis shrimp are also thought to have the most complex eyes in animal kingdom! Compared to the three types of photoreceptor cells that humans have, mantis shrimp have 12 to 16 types of photoreceptors cells- this means they can see a range of colours we can’t even imagine!
They are usually found in tropical waters, between Africa and Hawaii. They have now been found in groups in UK waters, which suggests they are able to live in the North Atlantic, possibly due to rising ocean temperatures linked with climate change. We may be seeing many more exotic creatures like these in the future!
