It is less than an inch long, nut the aptly named pistol shrimp can blast its prey, usually a small crab or fish, with a sound that is louder than a rocket launching (over 218 decibels or dB). It has two claws, one larger than the other. When it snaps these specialized claws together, it shoots a jet of water that travels at 100 km an hour. The jet creates a low-pressure bubble of very hot air. The bubble explodes with a deafening bang and flash, stunning the shrimp’s dinner or even killing it. The whole thing happens in a fraction of a second.
The noise from a colony of these shrimps can mask a submarine from sonar and give sailors sleepless nights.
Snapping shrimps form large colonies that carpet the seabed. Some species share their burrows with goby fish in a mutually beneficial relationship: the shrimp offers the fish a place to live, the fish gives the shrimp protection from predators. There are over 1000 species in total, their ubiquity embellishing the underwater landscape with a rich, fertile soundscape.
Picture Credit : Google