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Science 22 September 2000:
Vol. 289. no. 5487, pp. 2020 - 2021
DOI: 10.1126/science.289.5487.2020
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News of the Week

BIOPHYSICS:
For Certain Shrimp, Life's a Snap

Kathryn Brown

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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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)