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. See squilla
   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

Back in 1979, he published a report in Nature about a mantis shrimp known as Nannosquilla decemspinosa.

From Science News For Students

A tiny mantis shrimp found off the Pacific coast of South and Central America has inspired a new robot that somersaults and rolls as well as a circus acrobat — or Disney sidekick.

From Science News For Students

For the first time, researchers have peered through the transparent exoskeletons of these young mantis shrimp to see the inner mechanisms of their powerful weapons in motion, researchers report online April 29 in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

From Science News

For instance, during punches, the larvae swiveled their arms at speeds roughly a third to half those of adult peacock mantis shrimp.

From Science News

For instance, goats have dermal shields, crocodiles sport dorsal osteoderms, and mantis shrimp boast armored telsons.

From Ars Technica