Watch out for the lobster -- he's got a stun gun!

[mbarker]

This was a very short piece in the middle of a collection of aquatic oddities on TV. Apparently there is a type of lobster that can be seen pointing his claw at a nearby shrimp or small fish, then moving it oddly, at which point the shrimp or small fish usually jerks and floats, stunned! The lobster, of course, scuttles over and eats his stunned prey.

They showed what was happening in a diagram -- the claw has a special chamber that produces a sonic blast which stuns the fish. Admittedly, I suspect part of the effectiveness may be due to characteristics of water -- allowing it to transmit the force more effectively -- but it is still interesting that here is an actual "stun gun" except it's a lobster claw.

Comments

[doogers.livejournal.com]

That is one of the coolest things I've ever heard. :-)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I thought it was pretty amazing. How did a lobster ever evolve something like that, anyway?

[jinkang.livejournal.com]

I googled for more info. Found none...but it did say using a 'stun gun' then eating it is a more humane way. Go figures.

Hmm..lobster. Gotta visit the east coast again.

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

I couldn't figure out how to find out more about it, either. But it was on Japanese TV, with videos showing the lobster in action, so... there's some chance it's real, right? Amazing nature show...