mantis shrimp

noun

1. any stomatopod crustacean having a pair of appendages modified for grasping prey and resembling those of a mantis.

mantis shrimp

noun

1. any of various burrowing marine shrimplike crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda that have a pair of large grasping appendages: subclass Malacostraca See also squilla

Word History and Origins

Origin of mantis shrimp¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

"In natural fights, we see mantis shrimp coil their tails in front of their bodies like a shield. I wanted to know how this behavioral use of the tail changed how they receive impacts."

From Science Daily

By comparing bar lengths in 36 species with known relationships on the mantis shrimp family tree, they showed the shortest bar often changed as a new species evolved.

From Science Magazine

Yong moves beyond the known unknowns — just how does a mantis shrimp, with its complex eyes, see?

From Seattle Times

He was pulling rocks from the ocean to find mantis shrimp hiding in cracks.

From New York Times

The brightest student in class responded within seconds with an image of the mantis shrimp, which possesses infrared vision.

From Scientific American