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Mantis shrimp flub color vision test

Crustacean’s poor performance on eye exam suggests another way to perceive color

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — A mantis shrimp, which has one of the most elaborate visual systems ever discovered, turns out to be pretty lousy at distinguishing one color from another.

The stalked eyes of the mantis shrimp Haptosquilla trispinosa have far more complex color-detecting cells than people do, but the crustaceans can’t distinguish between shades as well as researchers expected.