Secret Language Of The Mantis Shrimp Could Lead To New Type Of Optical Material

Plants and Animals





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These crustaceans like to keep their conversations private. Nick Utchin/Shutterstock

It’s easy to appreciate how incredible the biological engineering of a mantis shrimp is. Whether it’s the “smasher” or “spearer” variant, this unusual, persistently hostile critter constantly surprises researchers. Just last year, several studies revealed that it can communicate using patterns of light; now, a study published in the journal Scientific Reports has discovered how the mantis shrimp is able to produce such complex patterns of light.