Amidst the ocean’s vast expanse, a diminutive yet astonishingly loud creature dwells, its decibels potentially growing with the rise of sea temperatures.
Commonly known as the pistol shrimp or snapping shrimp, this animal’s signature is its disproportionately large claw, nearly double its own body size.
Stanford University researchers have unearthed that the bubble created by the shrimp’s claw snap is louder than a gunshot. This sonic boom disorients its prey, providing the perfect opportunity for the shrimp to pounce and indulge.
In the marine world, the insignificant size doesn’t compromise the pistol shrimp’s fierce predatory status, prompting a highlight of its exceptional and somewhat eerie evolutionary traits.
A staggering 1100 species of snapping shrimp populate the oceans, and despite their mere 2-inch length, they challenge the vocal prowess of mammoth marine mammals like sperm whales and belugas. In dense colonies, their collective cacophony can interfere with sonar operations and subaqueous communications. The secret weapon? A singularly adapted claw.
The shrimp’s claws are lopsidedly sized, with the larger one acting as a sound cannon. This specialized appendage resembles a firearm more than a typical claw, able to cock a ‘hammer’ back and release it in a rapid snap. This action not only emits the characteristic crack but also propels a lethal bubble jet capable of annihilating small fish, incapacitating sizable creatures, and even fracturing glass.
This “bubble-shot” harbors secrets beyond our initial comprehension. During the snap, the resultant cavitation bubble yields acoustic pressures up to 80 kPa and velocities of 62 mph, culminating in a deafening 218-decibel blast!
But what does this level of sound mean?
- A whisper floats around 30 dB.
- Regular talking hovers at 60 dB.
- Household items like lawnmowers and hair dryers buzz near 90 dB.
- Live concerts usually peak at no more than 110 dB (bring earplugs!)
- The 142.2 dB roar of a Kansas City Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium set record levels.
- Most fighter jet takeoffs, fireworks, shootings, and emergency sirens stay below 150 dB.
- Yet, the pistol shrimp’s click trumps them all at 218 dB!
The imploding wave of the cavitation can also give rise to sonoluminescence, with temperatures soaring to around 5,000 K — rivaling the sun’s outer layer temperature of about 5,800 K! Though invisible to our eyes, the brief light emitted is likely a residual effect of the intense bubble burst.
Sometimes these shrimps partner up with goby fish to form a cooperative alliance, sharing a burrow and responsibilities: the goby, with its superior eyesight, stands watch while the shrimp, with ever-vigilant antennae, relies on the fish’s tail signals to sense threats.
Image Source: Gerald Robert Fischer / Shutterstock
