Mantis shrimp (which aren’t a shrimp but a “stomatopod” which are more closely related to krill) have 12 types of color receptors in their eyes compared to our measly 3 receptors. We used to think this meant they could see a whole range of dazzling colors beyond our comprehension.
Some people were (rightfully) jealous.
However, it turns out that mantis shrimp probably have so many color receptors because they don’t blend colors the way we do. When you look at something purple, your red and blue receptors are strongly stimulated while your green receptors are not and your brain synthesizes this information into purple. When a mantis shrimp looks at something purple, they have a specific purple receptor that is stimulated.
Why this weird system? Probably because it is faster and more efficient. Mantis shrimp need to distinguish between prey species and react extremely quickly (some species can punch 50x faster than the blink of an eye), so they don’t have time to do the mental calculations to blend colors.
Not only is the Forbidden Shrimp Color Knowledge a sham, but mantis shrimp can actually see fewer colors than we can because they can’t distinguish as many shades between colors. They also can’t see those cursed Imaginary Colors.
A lot of people reblogging this seem to think I’m somehow denigrating the mantis shrimp. Not so!
Although the “hundreds of colors humans couldn’t even imagine because they have 12 types of color receptors” thing isn’t really true, mantis shrimp do have incredible visual systems and they can see some kinds of light that are inaccessible to us lowly primates (like ultraviolet and polarized light–including circularly polarized light which no other animal can see).
Mantis shrimp also have “hexnocular vision” which means their eyes can calculate depth perception independently of each other with three points of comparison each (compared to our binocular vision with requires both eyes to get any depth perception).
In fact, the visual system of mantis shrimp is so unique and complex that scientists have used it as inspiration to improve upon technologies like satellites and tools to diagnose cancer. Here’s a clip from the lab involved in “debunking” the Forbidden Shrimp Colors (spoiler: they are clearly still supremely impressed with mantis shrimp vision).
Further information if you’re a stomatopod nerd like me: (1) (2)
