Škamp koji u kliještima nosi sunce

Ovaj je škamp mnogo opasniji nego što bi njegova veličina ikada sugerirala. U toplim, plitkim priobalnim morima živi stvorenje jedva duže od prsta, s jednim prevelikim kliještima zapetim i spremnim poput napete opruge, koje čeka svoj trenutak.

This shrimp is far more dangerous than its size would ever suggest. In warm, shallow coastal seas lives a creature scarcely the length of a finger, one oversized claw cocked and held ready like a loaded spring, waiting for its moment.

Kada škamp naglo zatvori ta kliješta, to se dogodi tolikom brzinom da sam udarac gotovo postaje nevažan. Pokret stvara mjehurić u okolnoj vodi koji se gotovo trenutačno raspada, a tijekom tek djelića sekunde, unutrašnjost tog mjehurića koji se raspada dosegne temperaturu blisku onoj na površini sunca. Sam zvuk nadmašuje glasnoću hica iz pištolja, dovoljno glasan da sam po sebi omami ili ubije male ribe u blizini.

When the shrimp snaps that claw shut, it happens with such velocity that the strike itself is almost beside the point. The motion creates a bubble in the surrounding water that collapses almost instantly, and for a mere fraction of a second, the interior of that collapsing bubble reaches a temperature approaching that of the sun's own surface. The sound alone exceeds the volume of a gunshot, loud enough on its own to stun or kill small fish nearby.

Sam škamp pritom nimalo ne postaje topao. I toplina i zvuk potječu iz mjehurića, i oboje nestaju prije nego što ih bilo što u blizini uopće može osjetiti. Ronioci koji rade blizu koraljnih grebena često čuju pucanj tih kliješta prije nego što među koraljima uoče ijednog škampa.

Nothing about the shrimp itself grows hot in the process. The heat and the sound both originate in the bubble, and both vanish again before either could be felt by anything nearby. Divers working near coral reefs often hear the snap of that claw before they spot a single shrimp among the coral.