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The peacock mantis shrimp possesses the fastest punch in the animal kingdom, accelerating its club-like dactyl appendages at speeds over 50 mph (80 km/h)—faster than a .22 caliber bullet.
The movement is so rapid that it causes a phenomenon known as cavitation. As the club slices through the ocean, it creates a localized low-pressure vacuum bubble. When that bubble collapses milliseconds later, it generates an underwater shockwave, producing a flash of light and temperatures reaching 4,400°C (nearly as hot as the surface of the Sun).
Even if the shrimp's physical punch misses its target, the resulting shockwave alone is powerful enough to stun or dismember crabs and break aquarium glass.
© Marine Biology & Biophysics Digest