Pistol Shrimp Shoot Bubbles as Hot as the Sun and Faster than Sound
Pistol Shrimp. Photo Credit: Trevor Cox Snap! Swish! Boom! Bang! For the marine pistol shrimp, bubbles are more than air— they’re life and death. Pistol shrimp use sonic hunting to stun and kill prey using bubble ‘bullets.’ Like most arthropods, pistol shrimp employ tough exoskeletons and sharp raptorial appendages for protection and hunting. The catch: pistol shrimp have a built-in weapon that kills without contact. A highly adapted, enlarged snapper claw allows pistol shrimp to dexterously open and close the appendage with incredible speed (despite immense water pressure and resistance). More than a physical feat, evolution has kept this capability around in more than 600 species belonging to the Alpheidae family!