Mini Speed Demons

From mantis shrimp to trap-jaw ants, some of the fastest organisms on the planet are ones you may never have heard of. Biologist Sheila Patek, of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says the creatures she studies move at speeds that are hard for us to imagine, let alone perceive. Patek shared some of her high-speed video and explained how these organisms pull off their top speeds.

footage and images courtesy of sheila patek, patrick green, roy caldwell. music by philip lynch, freemusicarchive. produced by flora lichtman