The Shrimp With a Sun in Its Claw
A snapping shrimp creates a bubble that reaches the temperature of the Sun's surface.
When a snapping shrimp closes its claw, it doesn't actually hit its prey. It creates a bubble of gas moving at 60 miles per hour that collapses with the force of a gunshot.
The interior of that collapsing bubble reaches temperatures of nearly 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit. For a fraction of a second, the water inside the bubble becomes almost as hot as the surface of the sun.
This phenomenon, called sonoluminescence, actually produces a visible flash of light inside the water. The shockwave is powerful enough to stun or kill a small crab instantly without the shrimp ever making physical contact.
Colonies of these shrimp are so loud that they interfere with sonar used by naval submarines. It is one of the only cases where a purely mechanical movement creates a thermodynamic event that rivals a star.
The Snail That Paralyzes Fish and Replaces Morphine
A slow-moving snail creates a chemical cocktail that can shut down the nervous system and replace hospital painkillers.
Read Next