Nature is full of beauty and verdant wonder, but there’s a darker side. Just beyond the edge of the environment’s allure sits violence. Nature seems to love a good fight, and it doesn’t discriminate.

When clams gamble on living with a killer, sometimes their luck may run out, according to a University of Michigan study. A longstanding question in ecology asks how can so many different species ...

CHICAGO — Quickly darting up a cement cast of artist Jack Schneider’s left arm, Cthulhu, a brightly colored mantis shrimp, snatches a clam before retreating below a rock in a 75-gallon, acrylic tank.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. At first glance, the mantis shrimp is an unassuming ...

Peacock mantis shrimp like Douglas are “called thumb-splitters in the aquarium business,” said Elliot Provance, director of living collections and exhibitions at Discovery Place. ALEX CASON Among the ...

Peacock mantis shrimp are one of the larger mantis shrimp species, measuring 1.2 to 7.1 inches in length. Peacock mantis shrimp get their name from their kaleidoscope shell, like a peacock’s tail, and ...

Peacock mantis shrimp like Douglas are “called thumb-splitters in the aquarium business,” said Elliot Provance, director of living collections and exhibitions at Discovery Place. ALEX CASON Among the ...

The mantis shrimp comes equipped with its own weapons. It has claws that look like permanently clenched fists that are known as dactyl clubs. But when it smashes the shells of its prey, these fists ...