The peacock mantis shrimp may be one of the most amazing creatures on the planet. Featured in a recent article in The LA Times, the mantis shrimp has two large claws that are capable of delivering 500 Newtons of force. This is sufficient to punch through the shells of the snails and crabs that it eats; even enough to crush aquarium glass, and accelerates faster than a speeding bullet (literally). Of course, there is one interesting question to the puzzle of this small creature (which is, coincidentally, neither a shrimp nor a mantis).
One of the physical impossibilities of a human possessing super human strength is that our physiology would not stand up to the forces created by that strength. Our muscles would tear, our bones would break. The peacock mantis shrimp, however, has developed a structure for its claws that can withstand the tremendous forces. The structure actually makes its claws tougher than any synthetic material that we’ve made.
