Quick, think of the loudest animal in the world. Is it an elephant? A beluga whale?
It turns out that the planet’s noisiest creature may not be the biggest. The pistol shrimp measures just two inches long (about the size of your finger), and makes a sound louder than a jet engine. If that’s not enough of a super power for a super-small shrimp, check this out: the pistol shrimp also creates a flash of light and a bubble that’s hotter than the sun!
How does it work? The answer lies in the shrimp’s over-sized claw. The animal hunts by shooting bubbles from its powerful claw when it hunts for small fish to eat. The claw snaps shut so quickly that it forces a stream of water forward at speeds of up to 62 mph. This forceful jet creates a low pressure bubble, the internal temperature of which scientists have measure at 10,000 Kelvin (the surface of the sun is about 5,800 Kelvin). When the bubble collapses, the deafening sound it makes has been measured at 218 decibels – almost 60 decibels louder than a jet engine. The shockwave of the bubble collapse also causes a low-intensity burst of light called sonoluminescence. After the pistol shrimp snaps its daunting claw at a passing fish, all that’s left to do is scurry from its burrow and retrieve a meal.
So where does this firecracker live? Most species of pistol shrimp (there are about 600) dig holes and live in coral reefs, oyster beds, and submerged seagrass flats. Most warm coastal waters, but some have been known to live in cold seas or even freshwater caves.
