When a peacock mantis shrimp strikes, it generates the heat of a star. The crustacean retracts a spring-loaded mouthpart known as a dactyl club and puts it on a latch, like a cowboy cocking the hammer of a gun. After pulling the trigger to release the stored elastic potential energy, the club moves like a […]
Tag: vampire
The vampire that regurgitates its bloody stomach contents to hungry roost-mates to save them from starvation
A vampire bat’s habit of regurgitating some of its bloody stomach contents to hungry roost-mates is a textbook example of reciprocal altruism – “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.” But it now seems that this sort of co-operation is more subtle than simple tit-for-tat. Vampire bats are most likely to share their blood […]