To its prey on the seafloor, the mantis shrimp is known as “death incarnate”—the crustacean cocks back its two hammer-like appendages under its face, releasing them with such force that they obliterate clam shells , one of the toughest materials in nature.

The mantis I’m watching uses one ear and two 3-D eyes to search my yard for food and mates.If those images don’t match in front of a mantis, it doesn’t care as long as there’s movement.

The disco clam is saved, and the mantis shrimp is not only out of a meal but is itself at risk of being eaten, by hanging out there like a punch-drunk prizefighter.