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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing pistol shrimp. These crustaceans are also known as snapping shrimp and some have called them the loudest animals in the ocean. They are so loud, they interfere with underwater communication used in submarines. It was once believed that these animals make their loud sound by snapping their claws together, but it’s now known they create an explosively loud bubble. One of the pistol shrimp’s claws is larger than the other. The large claw is used for making this bubble. It locks into place allowing water into a chamber. When the claw is closed, water is pushed out so fast a bubble is formed. When this bubble pops, a sound louder than gunshot is produced. It also produces light and heat approximately equivalent to the surface of the sun! Anyone who hears a popcorn-like sound underwater is likely experiencing the sounds produced by pistol shrimp!

Thankfully for us, pistol shrimp are tiny, so they can’t harm us. On average these shrimp only reach about 2 inches (5cm) in length. Their prey, however, are highly susceptible to this bubble blast. Pistol shrimp target small fish, crustaceans, worms, and mollusks for their meals. They may also eat algae, though this has only been observed in labs. Predators to pistol shrimp include large fish who are unaffected by their snap. If a predator tears off a pistol shrimp’s snapping claw, the shrimp can detach this limb and live to fight another day. The remaining claw will transition into a new snapping claw. So pistol shrimp are ambidextrous by default!

Male and female pistol shrimp can be told apart by their snapping claw’s size. Females have slightly smaller claws. This isn’t an issue, however, because these shrimp are monogamous. Pistol shrimp form mating pairs and defend a territory together. Their claws can help dig a burrow as well as warn intruders from their land. This monogamous set up is beneficial because it provides the male more opportunities to mate and the female protection during her vulnerable breeding stage. Like all arthropods, pistol shrimp molt their exoskeleton. Right after this, they are soft and prone to predation. This is also when the female pistol shrimp is ready to mate. While she is squishy, her mate can keep her safe, but he also gets to pass on his genes! Pistol shrimp may have just a handful to hundreds of eggs. In the case of the big claw snapping shrimp, these take about a month to hatch into larvae. The larvae undergo two to three instars, or molts, over the course of about a week before taking on their adult shape and becoming independent. Pistol shrimp live a few years in the wild.

These crustaceans are found in tropical and temperate marine waters throughout the world. Some species have high salinity tolerance so they may be found in low salinity water like estuaries and the mouths of rivers. There are over 600 living, classified pistol shrimp species and they’re most commonly found on seagrass beds, oyster beds, or coral reefs. Some live in colonies among sponges and have a “queen” member. Others live alongside gobies and give these fish a burrow in exchange for protection.

The pistol shrimp’s amazing adaptation might sound similar to another crustacean, the mantis shrimp, but these two animals are not closely related.

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