A tiny shrimp creates one of the ocean’s loudest sounds.

Pistol shrimp are less than 2 inches long, but they pack quite a punch. Alpheidae, as they’re also known, have an oversized claw that the tiny crustaceans snap so quickly it shoots a bulletlike jet of water at their prey. That “shot” travels at a speed of up to 60 miles per hour and clocks in at 210 decibels — louder than an actual pistol (165 decibels), fireworks (140 decibels), and a jet engine (130 decibels). 

The pistol shrimp’s “snap” also briefly superheats the water to a temperature of 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is four times hotter than lava. The sound of a pistol shrimp snapping its claw is so loud, in fact, that it can interfere with sonar. During World War II, colonies of pistol shrimp produced enough noise to interrupt naval officers’ attempts to detect enemy submarines.