Something Planet

Pistol Shrimp – video powered by Metacafe

They call it the Pistol Shrimp because it can snap its larger claw shut so fast that it causes an underwater shockwave to travel straight outward from the appendage. The resulting blast is powerful enough to kill small fish at a distance, and even stun much larger ones. In a nutshell, the Pistol Shrimp has evolved its hand into a god damn gun. It is one of only a few species capable of producing Sonoluminescence – which is a sound so loud that it actually produces light – because the bubble created by this claw-shot, upon collapsing, briefly creates temperatures hotter than the sun. So to sum up: There is a shrimp out there in the ocean – right now  – that wields a power akin to that of the sun itself, and fires death-rays from its claws. I’d stay away from the Red Lobsters for a while, because when the revolution comes, they will not be spared.     –Atom Web