Name: The shrimp with a kick!
Uploaded: 2007-04-05T00:11:00Z
Duration: 16 min 11 s
Description: Biologist Sheila Patek talks about her work measuring the feeding strike of the mantis shrimp, one of the fastest movements in the animal world, using video cameras recording at 20,000 frames per second.

Sheila Patek: The shrimp with a kick!

The shrimp with a kick!

Biologist Sheila Patek talks about her work measuring the feeding strike of the mantis shrimp, one of the fastest movements in the animal world, using video cameras recording at 20,000 frames per second.

The mantis shrimp’s feeding strike is the fastest motion ever measured in the animal world, reaching over 45 miles per hour underwater. This mind-bending speed is powered by a unique spring system built into their limbs, using a hyperbolic paraboloid shape found in architecture and jewelry. With a punch force topping 200 pounds, mantis shrimp combine raw muscle, mechanical innovation, and even fluid dynamics to smash through tough shells. Their biology blurs the line between animal and engineered marvel.