Animals & Nature
mantis shrimp
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In short
A mantis shrimp is a marine crustacean in the order Stomatopoda. Despite its name, it is neither a praying mantis nor a true shrimp. Many species catch prey with fast, specialized front appendages.
01 Meaning
What does mantis shrimp mean?
A doubly misleading name
A mantis shrimp is neither an insect like a praying mantis nor a true shrimp. The common name describes a resemblance, not its scientific relationships.
Two kinds of hunting tools
Some stomatopods are spearers with pointed appendages; others are smashers with club-like appendages that can break hard shells. Smashers use the clubs to break the shells of hard-bodied prey such as clams and crabs. This distinction matters more than the popular claim that every mantis shrimp punches in the same way.
A striking visual system
Mantis shrimp have compound eyes that are far more specialized than those of most crustaceans, and the Smithsonian Magazine article describes them scanning the water with independently moving eyes before striking. How well they see, and what it means for them to see color, is more nuanced than popular accounts suggest.
02 Word origin
Where does it come from?
The common name combines mantis and shrimp because the animal has grasping, mantis-like front limbs and a shrimp-like body shape. It is a descriptive nickname, not a statement of zoological classification.
03 In context
How to use it in a sentence
“The diver spotted a mantis shrimp hiding in a rocky burrow.”
“Some mantis shrimp strike prey with powerful club-shaped appendages.”
Sources and updates
- Smasher Mantis Shrimp, Smithsonian Ocean. Checked October 21, 2026.
- Why Mantis Shrimps Are Remarkable Predators, Smithsonian Magazine. Checked October 21, 2026.
- mantis shrimp, Merriam-Webster. Checked October 21, 2026.
Definitions and examples are written in our own words from the sources above. Published .