Fast on the Trigger: Super Slow-Motion Camera Shows Deadly Pistol Shrimp Blow

Do you remember seeing a story about the lobster-boxer here that, thanks to his extreme bad temper, incredible powers and lethal ninja blow, has earned a reputation for being the most wretched creature of the seas? Because this pet has a "cousin", the Prawn Shrimp, which is part of the same gang and is also kind of unfortunate. This little fellow can heat the water in the area near his paws to 4, 000 ° C only with the swiftness of his deadly blow!

And because this squad is incredibly fast, the BBC folks decided to capture the action of the Prawn in super-slow-motion camera to be able to follow the creature's shooting in great detail. In fact, the action is so fast that the camera had to be set to record the scene at 10, 000 frames per second! Check out the following video:

Quick on the trigger

The mechanism of action of the prawn is similar to that of the lobster boxer: one of its little claws - or chelopod - located on the front of its body, is super powerful and developed and, when closing, reaches up to 100 kilometers per hour of speed, and cause a loud and loud crack.

As a result, in addition to warming the water to absurdly high temperatures and triggering a process known as overcavitation, the prawn's blow also causes a small shockwave that can disorient and even kill its prey. This mechanism is even known to interfere with sonar communication between vessels.

The film captured by BBC's Earth Unplugged program team shows the moment when the wretched bug closes its tweezers and triggers overcavitation. This process is caused by the ultra-fast movement of the claw, which causes water to travel at a very high speed. This causes a dramatic drop in pressure that can lead to the evaporation of the liquid and the formation of an air bubble.