Biophysics. For certain shrimp, life's a snap.
On page 2114 of this issue, physicists report that a collapsing bubble outside the claw of the snapping shrimp Alpheus heterochaelis causes its characteristic clack. According to this new study, A. heterochaelis clamps its claw so rapidly that a water jet gushing from the claw first loses and then gains pressure, causing an air bubble in the jet to swell and collapse with a pronounced "snap!" The imploding bubble generates shock waves that stun nearby prey and ward off other shrimp, who have learned to keep their distance.
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D000388:Air; D000818:Animals; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D033364:Decapoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D011312:Pressure; D012623:Seawater; D013016:Sound