Meet the shrimp that shouts louder than a gunshot!

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London, Nov 15 : A shrimp that can make a sound louder than a gunshot has been found in British waters.

Pistol shrimps, which stun their prey by snapping their claws together to create a deafening 'crack', normally live in the sub-tropics.

The one-inch long shrimp snaps its enlarged claw shut at such a speed that it produces a sound wave of up to 218 decibels.

The shrimps have only been recorded in UK waters a handful of times.

Due to the cold temperature, they are incredibly rare in British waters.

However, two of the crustaceans have been picked up by crab fisherman Tim Bailey two miles off Pendennis Point in Falmouth, Cornwall, and experts believe they are part of a thriving colony.

They were brought to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, where staff was forced to separate them to stop them stunning each other.

"Only a handful of this type of shrimp has ever been recorded in UK waters although their numbers do appear to be on the rise because of rising sea temperatures," the Telegraph quoted curator Matt Slater, as saying.

"The fisherman brought in a bucket and I started to hear this cracking noise as if someone was popping bubble wrap.

"It wasn't until we unloaded the bucket that I realised the sound was coming from the shrimps snapping their claws together," he added.


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