Next up is the #4 Alligator Snapping Turtle against the #13 Mantis Shrimp #2018MMM
Tonight is truly a battle of tiny vs. middling, with the Alligator Snapping turtle coming in at 85 kg while the Mantis Shrimp weights about 50 g. That's a 1700x difference in mass #2018MMM
Mantis shrimp, or Stomatopods (or 'pods), are amazing creatures, of course I'm biased because I did my Ph.D. in a 'pod lab (bitly.com) #2018MMM
During my PhD we spent a lot of time looking at how ocean currents influenced mantis shrimp (and other) populations, translating that into conservation plans (bit.ly/2GFH70k) #2018MMM
In Fiji Mantis Shrimps are called Vidividi which means "flicking" because of their amazing abiltiy to attack with their raptorial appendages #2018MMM
Mantis Shrimp can split open thumbs, & can break glass. Their appendages shoot forward faster than a bullet, going so fast the friction acutally boils the water creating what's known as cavitation bubbles, which when they collapes cause shockwaves #2018MMM nature.com/articles/42881…
I'll spare you the photo of my bloody thumb #2018MMM
The Alligator Snapping Turtle is the largest of North American non-marine turtles and a bad-mammajamma. I've seen this in the wild and they're inspiring #2018MMM
In the wild Alligator snapping turtles eat a variety of fish, hard-shelled invertebrates, and hard shelled vertebrates including armadillos (bit.ly/2piD0zW). #2018MMM
Alligator snapping turtles are opportunistic scavengers which also hunt using a lurk and snap strategy. They rely on their incredible bite strength of over 1000lbs/square inch (bit.ly/2GGopFY) #2018MMM
Tonight's battle occurs in the brackish waters of the Mississippi delta, the confused Mantis Shrimp is clearly out of its territory #2018MMM
The Mantis Shrimp finds a delicious looking worm, totally innocently flashing pink (and whatever other colors 16 visual pigments can see) against what is TOTALLY not a mouth...well it might be a mouth #2018MMM
SURPRISE SHRIMP! That worm was actually what's called a verimform appendage on the tounge of the Alligator Snapping Turtle, a lure to attract unsuspecting prey #2018MMM
SNAP(ping turtle) chomps down on the Mantis Shrimp #2018
BUT THE TURTLE BITE MISSES! #2018MMM #OhSnap
The Mantis Shrimp punches the Alligator Snapping Turtle beak with its raptorial appendage. #2018MMM
CRAAAACCCKKK!!!! #2018MMM
The counter-punch of the Mantis Shrimp contains two hits, one by the limb, and a second one of the cavitation shock wave, which adds an additonal 50% force to the hit jeb.biologists.org/content/208/19…. These forces combine to FRACTURE the beak of the Alligator Snapping Turtle! #2018MMM
MANTIS SHRIMP DEFEATS ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLE #2018MMM #UPSETCITY

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with 🏆Joshua Drew🏆 @Drew_Lab@ecoevo.social

🏆Joshua Drew🏆 @Drew_Lab@ecoevo.social Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Drew_Lab

Mar 27, 2018
Next up is the #5 Secretary Bird against the #13 Mantis Shrimp #2018MMM
The Sec. Bird arrived here through stomping the Horseshoe Crab, while the Mantis Shrimp pulled off an upset over the Alligator Snapping Turtle #2018MMM
As the holder of the higher seed, tonight's battle takes place in Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria bit.ly/2pGaZl6 (pdf) where the Sec. Bird has been searching for prey #2018MMM
Read 16 tweets
Mar 22, 2018
Next Up: #7 Cookie Cutter Shark and the #10 Common Octopus #2018MMM
Both of these species are found broadly, with the common octopus having a nearly global distribution in shallow ocean areas #2018MMM
The common octopus is fairly large with a width of up to 4' and a weight of over 20 pounds. That's a whole lotta Polpi thespruce.com/italian-octopu… #2018MMM
Read 20 tweets
Mar 20, 2018
Next up we have #14 seeded Eastern Grey Squirrel vs. #3 Berlin Boar #2018MMM
The plucky Grey Squirrel as a proud member of the Sciuridae has long been a favorite of March Mammal Madness and comes in tonight with a strong fan base #2018MMM
Not the least of which being one of my favorite fictional characters, New York City's own favorite Computer Science Major, the @unbeatablesg #2018MMM
Read 20 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(