Mantis shrimp utilize dynamic color flashes for communication, a feat enabled by their highly evolved vision capable of processing various light wavelengths, including ultraviolet and polarized light. These crustaceans can adjust their visual sens...
A mantis shrimp does not depend solely upon sound or movements. Rather, it emits flashes of colors that change based on its situation. Scientists have studied this feature extensively, and articles in ScienceNews indicate that this crustacean uses these color signals for communication purposes. The interesting aspect about these crustaceans is that unlike other animals, they have a highly evolved vision system. It enables them to see various wavelengths of light and even ultraviolet light.
Scientific studies in Nature reveal that mantis shrimps' eyes are highly evolved and enable them to process both polarized and non-polarized light. They also allow these crustaceans to perceive various colors within a fraction of seconds. This is indeed fascinating because most other animals cannot perceive these wavelengths and polarized colors due to lack of the same features in their eyes.
We need to see beyond human limits
The efficacy of such a mode of communication depends on the way in which mantis shrimps perceive their environment. Scientific studies published in the journal Nature reveal that mantis shrimps are capable of altering their visual sensitivity in accordance with the conditions around them and therefore can maintain their vision clear throughout any changes in light intensity. As a result, the mantis shrimps' communication is effective even when the level of light becomes either more intense or weaker. Further studies prove the capacity of mantis shrimps to sense ultraviolet lights, which contributes to a variety of their communication system. Using ultraviolet light to transmit secret messages enables these animals to communicate privately from any other creature in the area.
Image Credit: Gemini
Communication starts adapting in real time
Mantis shrimp do not use static signals either. A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution finds that some mantis shrimp have the ability to alter their colors depending on the environment or the circumstances of the moment. As such, they can communicate aggression, mating availability, or territoriality instantaneously to others around them. Another finding from PNAS demonstrates that there is a co-evolution between signal production and perception, meaning there is a close connection between signal generation and reception within these systems of communication. Such a complex system highlights the fact that communication in nature might be much more complex than we think. More specifically, mantis shrimp do not just flash colors. They communicate with each other using light itself.
