Mantis shrimp delivers painful blow to kayak fisherman
Mantis shrimp delivers painful blow to kayak fisherman

“Supposedly mantis shrimp has the most powerful punch in the animal kingdom and I just felt it.”

The mantis shrimp is known as “The Thumb Splitter” as its punch has the same acceleration as a 22-caliber bullet, delivering a blow of 15,000 newtons, a force equal to more than 2,500 times the shrimp’s weight. Those figures are measured underwater but its still quite dangerous above the surface as evidenced by this kayak fisherman who took a punch to his neoprene booty and ended up with a puncture wound.

For an animal roughly the size of a human hand these little critters can deliver a devastating blow earning their reputation that they should not be messed with. Painful lesson learned by this kayak fisherman that he won’t soon be making again.

Tim Konrad is the founder of Unofficial Networks and a passionate skier with over two decades of experience in the ski industry. In 2006, he launched the blog from Lake Tahoe with his brother John, evolving...