The peacock mantis shrimp also known as the harlequin mantis shrimp or painted mantis shrimp is a large mantis shrimp native to the Indo-Pacific from Guam to East Africa. It is up to seven inches long and sports gregarious colors. It is also very powerful, resilient club for whacking its prey. Its immense power has come under consideration among a team of researchers who has uncovered the secret behind the club’s construction that makes it so strong.

This discovery might hold the key to a new generation of lightweight, impact- and shock-resistant materials for products ranging from body armor and electric cars to football helmets that better shield players from head injuries. According to the Assistant Professor of engineering at the University of California at Riverside, who along with colleagues from six other institutions conducted the study, the peacock mantis shrimp feeds on some of the hardest nuts to crack in the ocean.

The scientists stumbled on peacock mantis shrimp when they were looking for natural materials that could help humans engineer better materials. While undergoing the study, they were amazed by the rigidity of the club of this shrimp, which they later found could be very beneficial.