The vibrant mantis shrimp is the epitome of “small but powerful.” A mantis shrimp has appendages that fold under its body and can unfurl in milliseconds to deliver a devastating blow that pulverizes prey, despite being only 2 to 7 inches long.
In addition, they have intricate eyes that move independently of one another and enable them to perceive the world in a very different way than humans do. The presence of at least 12 different kinds of photoreceptors in the eyes of mantis shrimps speeds up their ability to distinguish between colors.