Shrimp

Hello from the reef! My name is Pistol, and I’m a snapping shrimp. Some people also call me a pistol shrimp, which I think sounds very cool. I live in various marine habitats, including coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, and rocky shores. It’s full of bright colors, with fish of all shapes and sizes swimming by my cozy home. My house is a little burrow that I dig myself. I have many neighbors, but I have a special secret that makes me stand out. Do you see my claws? One of them is a normal size, but the other one is huge! It’s much, much bigger than the other, and it’s not for pinching. This giant claw is my very own superpower, and it helps me get my dinner and protect my home. It makes me one of the loudest animals in the entire sea!

Are you wondering how my superpower works? It's pretty amazing! I don't use my big claw to pinch things. Instead, I snap it shut faster than you can even blink your eyes. When I snap it that fast, it shoots out a high-speed water jet that creates a cavitation bubble filled with water vapor. For just a moment, that bubble is there, and then—POP! When the bubble pops, it makes a really loud 'SNAP!' that you can hear all across the reef. That sound is so powerful that the collapse of the cavitation bubble creates a shockwave in the water, producing the loud snapping sound. This shockwave is strong enough to stun tiny fish or other small creatures that swim too close to my burrow. Once they are stunned and can’t move, I can easily grab them for my lunch. My family, the Alpheidae, was first described by a scientist way back in 1815, so people have known about our incredible snapping superpower for a very long time.

Now, even with a superpower claw, life can be a little tricky because my eyesight isn't very good. It’s hard for me to see predators who might want to eat me. But that’s okay, because I have a roommate who helps me out! I share my burrow with a little fish called a goby. We have a great partnership. Since I'm an excellent digger, I do all the work to make our home safe and tidy. In return, my goby friend uses its sharp eyes to be my personal lookout. I always keep one of my long feelers, which are called antennae, touching my goby friend. If the goby sees danger coming, it gives a little wiggle, and that tells me to zip back into our burrow where we'll both be safe. It’s like having a living doorbell!

Even though I am small, I have a big job in the ocean. All of my snaps, along with the snaps of my thousands of neighbors, make the reef a noisy place. It’s true! Scientists say that together, we sound like the ocean's orchestra, playing our snapping music all day and night. By digging burrows, I also help stir up the sand and keep it healthy for other animals. And by hunting, I help keep my coral reef home balanced for everyone who lives there. I may be little, but I’m proud to be a tiny but mighty helper of the sea!