The Stomatopod Dactyl Club: A Formidable Damage-Tolerant Biological Hammer

Hammering Home the Lesson Stomatopods are marine crustaceans that use hammerlike claws for defense and to attack their prey. The claws undergo repeated high-velocity and high-force impacts. Weaver et al. (p. 1275 ; see the Perspective by Tanner ) used a variety of techniques to examine the structure, mechanical behavior, and toughening mechanisms of the claw of the Peacock Mantis shrimp. The claw's composite structure is optimized for toughness,...