image: The stomatopods (Odontodactylus scyllarus) are an ancient group of marine tropical and subtropical crustaceans that are well known for their complex visual systems, solitary nature, and aggressive hunting strategies. Stomatopods' second pair of thoracic appendages are highly modified with hyper-mineralized hammer-like dactyl clubs for powerful close-range combat. This observation highlights the unique structure and impressive performance of this dactyl structure and the important lessons that can be learned from its investigation. This image relates to a paper that appeared in the June 8, 2012, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by J.C. Weaver at the Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, and colleagues was titled, “The Stomatopod Dactyl Club: A Formidable Damage-Tolerant Biological Hammer.” view more
Credit: Courtesy of S. Baron