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Scientists Close to Cracking Mystery Behind Mantis Shrimp’s Amazing Eyesight

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Scientists Close to Cracking Mystery Behind Mantis Shrimp's Amazing Eyesight

Scientists Close to Cracking Mystery Behind Mantis Shrimp’s Amazing Eyesight

In a single word, the reason for the amazing eyesight of a crustacean (IE sea cockroach) known as the stomatopod or “Mantis” shrimp is photoreceptors. That is what scientists are honing in on as the Raison d’être for this little creating being able to see so well underwater.

It’s not as if this small creature hasn’t already earned itself an honorable mention in the book of amazing creatures. It can thrust a physical strike at prey with its arm through the water at a force of 90kg or 10,000 times the force of gravity. Put another way, the Mantis shrimp can pack a punch slightly more than twice the force than what the average person can do.

Mantis shrimp or stomatopods are marine crustaceans, the members of the order Stomatopoda. They may reach 30 centimetres (12 in) in length, though in exceptional cases have been recorded at up to 38 cm (15 in). The carapace of mantis shrimp covers only the rear part of the head and the first four segments of the thorax. Mantis shrimp appear in a variety of colours, from shades of brown to bright neon colours. Although they are common animals and among the most important predators in many shallow, tropical and sub-tropical marine habitats, they are poorly understood as many species spend most of their life tucked away in burrows and holes.

A photograph of A female Odontodactylus Scyllarus mantis shrimp. Mantis shrimp or stomatopods are an ancient group of marine predators that are only distantly related to other more familiar crustaceans, such as crabs, shrimp and lobsters. While most occur in shallow tropical marine waters, a few species are found in more temperate seas. Although they care called mantis shrimp, they are neither shrimp nor mantid (a species of insect), but received their name due to their resemblance to both praying mantis and shrimp. Mantis shrimp appear in a variety of colors, from shades of browns to bright neon colors..

However, what is captivating scientists is its highly advanced visual system that allows it to see other objects in the water with unmatched depth perception and distance. In fact, it can see objects in three ranges. It helps that its eyes can move separately on their own pods and that each also has trinocular vision. However, it is the use of 12 photoreceptors that allow it to perceive hues the human eye cannot see. Human eyes have only three photoreceptors. One can only imagine the depth of color these creatures perceive in the world.

On The Web:
Mysterious Sight of the Mantis Shrimp Closer to Being Solved?
http://guardianlv.com/2014/01/mysterious-sight-of-the-mantis-shrimp-closer-to-being-solved/

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Tomas Carbry possesses a decade of journalism experience and consistently upholds rigorous standards. His focus areas include technology and global issues.