See Like Animals Open the tool
Menu

Peacock mantis shrimp vision: the science and the numbers

Odontodactylus scyllarus · order Stomatopoda · Crustaceans: all the numbers

Mantis shrimp have 10 colour channels, including violet.[1] Their sharpest vision resolves 1.1 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[6]

See it on your photoBack to How do mantis shrimp see?
  • 10colour receptor classesMeasured
  • 1.1cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured

The peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) is a crustacean in the order Stomatopoda. Its eyes belong to the vision type Crustacean (mantis shrimp, crab): compound eyes whose colour classes, ultraviolet and polarisation vision vary widely between species. Measured in this species: colour and sharpness. Measured colour or sharpness: a measured receptor set or acuity in this species; other dials come from relatives or group defaults.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What mantis shrimp see: colour receptors

Peacock mantis shrimp colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmPeacock mantis shrimp: 10 receptor peaks at 400, 429, 430, 451, 487, 503, 506, 509, 528, 546 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Peacock mantis shrimp: 400, 429, 430, 451, 487, 503, 506, 509, 528, 546 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has 10 colour receptor classes; people have 3.
  • Its sharpest vision resolves 1.1 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
10 receptor classes: 400 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 429 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 430 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 451 nm (SWS (blue)), 487 nm (MWS (green)), 503 nm (MWS (green)), 506 nm (MWS (green)), 509 nm (MWS (green)), 528 nm (MWS (green)), 546 nm (LWS (long))
measured in this species
Measured[1]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[2][3][4][5]
SharpnessAcuity
1.1 cycles per degree
median of 1 compilation rows (method priority rule)
Measured[6]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[7][8]
Angle between facets
1.6°
median of 1 relatives in class Malacostraca: Phronima sedentaria
Group default[9]
Eye type
compound eye
Field of viewNo value in the catalogue.Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[10][11]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[12]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[12]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[10][11]
Sharp zones (foveas)No value in the catalogue.Number of foveas: 1 Measured[13]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[13]
Night visionRods vs cones
no rods (invertebrate photoreceptors)		Group defaultActivity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[14][15][16][2][17][18][19][20]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[21][22]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[23]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[14][15][16][2][17][18][19][20]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
24.5 Hz
median of 37 relatives in class Malacostraca: Pseudorchomene plebs, Booralana tricarinata, Eugonatonotus crassus, Eumunida picta, Gastroptychus spinifer, Funchalia villosa
Group default[24][25][26]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[27][25]

Other senses

  • polarisation vision: optional overlay of degree/angle of linear polarisation (Group default)
  • circular polarisation: optional overlay (Group default)

All crustaceans side by side: Crustaceans: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Porter
  2. Longcore 2023
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. Feller et al. 2021
  7. Kirk et al. 2004
  8. Veilleux et al. 2014
  9. Bagheri et al. 2022
  10. Heesy 2004
  11. Heffner et al. 1992
  12. Campbell & Green 1965
  13. Kopania et al. 2025
  14. Anderson et al. 2017
  15. Borges et al. 2018
  16. Wilman et al. 2014
  17. Maor et al. 2017
  18. Jones et al. 2009
  19. Schmitz et al. 2011
  20. Moura et al. 2024
  21. Banks et al. 2015
  22. Cervino et al. 2021
  23. Guareschi et al. 2025
  24. Haarlem et al. 2026
  25. Inger et al. 2014
  26. Lafitte et al. 2022
  27. Healy et al. 2013

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.