The Shrimp With a Sun Inside Its Claw

This shrimp is more dangerous than it looks. Send this to someone who underestimates small things. In warm shallow seas lives a shrimp barely the length of a finger, with one oversized claw held ready like a loaded spring.

Ovaj škamp je opasniji nego što izgleda. Pošalji ovo nekome tko podcjenjuje male stvari. U toplim plitkim morima živi škamp jedva dužine prsta, s jednim prevelikim kliještima koja drži spremno poput napete opruge.

When the shrimp snaps that claw shut, it happens so fast that it does not just hit its target. It creates a bubble in the water that collapses almost instantly, and for a fraction of a second, the inside of that collapsing bubble reaches a temperature close to the surface of the sun. The sound alone is louder than a gunshot, loud enough to stun or kill small fish nearby.

Kad škamp stisne ta kliješta, dogodi se to tako brzo da ne samo pogodi metu. Stvori mjehurić u vodi koji se gotovo trenutno sruši, i na djelić sekunde, unutrašnjost tog mjehurića koji se ruši dosegne temperaturu blizu površine sunca. Sam zvuk je glasniji od hica iz pištolja, dovoljno glasan da omami ili ubije male ribe u blizini.

Nothing about the shrimp itself gets hot. The heat and the sound both come from the bubble, gone before it could ever be felt. Divers who work near coral reefs often hear the snapping sound before they see a single shrimp.

Ništa na samom škampu se ne zagrije. I toplina i zvuk dolaze od mjehurića, koji nestane prije nego što bi se uopće mogao osjetiti. Ronioci koji rade blizu koraljnih grebena često čuju zvuk pucketanja prije nego što ugledaju ijednog škampa.