Punching shrimp
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/sci_update.cfm?DocID=221
A lesson plan for grade 4 Science
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In this Science Update, students explore the mantis shrimp, which hunts for underwater snails and then punches the shell in to eat the meat. Sheila Patek, Wyatt Korff, and Roy Caldwell captured the shrimp’s activity on high speed video. They observed feeding movements that were far faster than anything they had imagined, and in fact, faster, possibly faster than any other limb movement in the animal kingdom. The peak speed that we measured was 23 meters per second, which is over 50 miles per hour. The key to its knockout punch appears to be a tiny, saddle-shaped spring, which is released by the click of a latch, quite similar to a spring-loading mechanism. The scientists can use this discovery to inform engineering development. The science of building machines and materials that imitate nature is called biomimetics. Science NetLinks provides a link to the audio file, a written transcript, and questions to engage students in discussion about biomimetics, how the mantis shrimp can inform the field of engineering, and the experiment. This activity also contains links to other projects that use biomimetics.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grade 4
- Goal 1: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of animal behavior and adaptation.
- Objective 1.02: Observe and record how animals of the same kind differ in some of their characteristics and discuss possible advantages and disadvantages of this variation.
- Objective 1.03: Observe and discuss how behaviors and body structures help animals survive in a particular habitat.
- Objective 1.05: Recognize that humans can understand themselves better by learning about other animals.
