mantis shrimp
1
7.5
- noun
- /ˈmæntɪs ʃrɪmp/
:
mantis de mar
- It is clear that mantis shrimp can see color, and that their range covers the whole of the spectrum visible to humans and extends into both the ultraviolet and the infrared; but scientists don't know whether they see many more shades of color than a bird does.
- mantis shrimp eye
If you are a mantis shrimp of all things, you see hundreds of colors that human beings can't see.
- If you are a mantis shrimp of all things, you see hundreds of colors that human beings can't see.
Examples
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Mantis shrimp have more complex color vision than any other creature we know about.
Academic text (2009) -
The mantis shrimp uses its powerful claws to catch prey with incredible speed.
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Forget the eye of a hawk: it's the eye of the mantis shrimp that should be legendary.
Academic text (2009) -
If you are a mantis shrimp of all things, you see hundreds of colors that human beings can't see.
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But even a blue tit's vision seems boring when compared with what goes on in the stalked eye of the mantis shrimp.
Academic text (2009) -
You had, like, seahorses, clown fish, mantis shrimp, like planted tank, just like all sorts of exotic stuff.
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One idea is that each pigment in a mantis-shrimp eye signals the presence of a single color in the same way that a hair cell in the cochlea of a human ear responds to a single frequency of sound.
Academic text (2009) -
As I mentioned, mantis shrimp can also detect how light waves are polarized—marshaled into a single plane of oscillation—which is independent of the wavelength of light.
Academic text (2009) -
Researchers are fascinated by the mantis shrimp's vibrant colors and exceptional vision.
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In the ocean, the mantis shrimp is known for its unique appearance and hunting abilities.
Synonyms
A large sea animal with strong front claws that hunts fish and crabs
A sea animal called mantis shrimp with very strong front claws and eyes made of many parts
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is partly compositional: 'mantis' + 'shrimp' signals a shrimp that resembles a mantis (i.e., a shrimp with mantis-like, grasping predatory features), so a B1 learner who knows both words could infer it is a kind of crustacean with mantis-like traits. However, the precise biological details (extremely powerful claws, exceptional color vision, tropical habitat) and full meaning are not derivable from the constituents alone, so the expression is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Mantis shrimp: The name mantis shrimp comes from its front claws that fold like a 'praying mantis' and from its shrimp-like body. That's why the name makes you think of a colorful sea animal with very strong hunting claws.