Mantis shrimp are colorful creatures with an incredibly powerful punch — comparable to a .22 caliber bullet. This punch is ...

A mantis shrimp's punch creates high-energy waves. Its exoskeleton is designed to absorb that energy, preventing cracking and tissue damage.

Meanwhile “smashers” like the peacock mantis shrimp use their hammer-like claws to attack their hard-shelled prey—such as crabs and clams—with a powerful punch. So how does that punch work?