Which crustacean has the fastest strike in the animal kingdom?

The mantis shrimp has the fastest strike among crustaceans and is famous for one of the quickest movements in the animal kingdom. Its club-like front appendages can accelerate so rapidly that they smash through shells and stun or kill prey.

The strike is powered by a spring-and-latch system. Muscles slowly load elastic structures inside the appendage, then a latch releases the stored energy almost instantly. The club can move at roughly 20–30 metres per second, depending on the species and measurement. The impact is so violent that it can create tiny bubbles in the surrounding water.

When those bubbles collapse, they produce additional shock waves and brief flashes of light—a phenomenon called cavitation. This means the prey can be struck both by the club and by forces generated in the water immediately afterward. Peacock mantis shrimp are among the best-known examples.

Mantis shrimp are not actually shrimp in the everyday culinary sense; they belong to the order Stomatopoda. Pistol shrimp also generate powerful cavitation bubbles, but they do so with a snapping claw rather than the mantis shrimp’s spring-loaded hammering appendage.