Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air
Published on: February 5, 2017
How snapping shrimp snap: through cavitating bubbles
M Versluis1, B Schmitz, A von der Heydt
1Department of Applied Physics and J. M. Burgers Research Center for Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, Post Office Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands.
Abstract:
The snapping shrimp (Alpheus heterochaelis) produces a loud snapping sound by an extremely rapid closure of its snapper claw. One of the effects of the snapping is to stun or kill prey animals. During the rapid snapper claw closure, a high-velocity water jet is emitted from the claw with a speed exceeding cavitation conditions. Hydrophone measurements in conjunction with time-controlled high-speed imaging of the claw closure demonstrate that the sound is emitted at the cavitation bubble collapse and not on claw closure. A model for the bubble dynamics based on a Rayleigh-Plesset-type equation quantitatively accounts for the time dependence of the bubble radius and for the emitted sound.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Pinocytosis
Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion
Pinocytosis
Pinocytosis ("cellular drinking") is one of three main types of endocytosis. In...
Sampling Methods: Sample Types
Solid samples include a variety of substances, such as sediments from water bodies, soil, metals, and biological tissues. Two standard methods for extracting sediments from water bodies are grab sampling and piston coring. Grab sampling involves using a device to collect a discrete sediment sample from the bottom of a water body with minimal disturbance. Grab samples do not always represent the entire area due to...
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Atomization Methods
Adsorption of Gases on Solids

