Read Time:5 Minute, 57 Second

By William Van Zyl

Published on 18 August 2024 (updated in July 2026).

Bang!

The shockwaves from the shrimp’s claw stunned the small fish.

Research divers reported a tiny flash of lightning as the pistol’ went off.

Here is a concise, fantastic, and fun story about how Hola and Revola—the two pistol shrimps—developed their ‘handguns.’ An extraordinary tale—to build writing skills.

IMAGE: A diver—shown in the background—takes footage of a pistol shrimp firing its ‘pistol.’ This is an AI-generated image created in August 2024.

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It is Revola’s birthday. A beautiful, bright and sunny day.

The plankton danced with joy in the rays of the Sun. The ocean was a sea of glass.

IMAGE: Plankton ranges in size from tiny microbes, which are invisible to the naked eye. Apart from bacteria, planktonic organisms are the most abundant life form on Earth and play a crucial role in the marine food chain. Without plankton, there would be few living organisms on Earth. AI-generated image (created in August 2024).

Two very ordinary shrimps were celebrating Revola’s 1,000,000th birthday.

Way back, Ola and Revola started playing with cap guns. They got these from a local opportunity shop, and Mum and Dad got these second-hand handguns for them. The two siblings played cowboys and crooks for hours, including some crazy bar and saloon fights—just like we see cowboys fight in movies today.

Eventually, they got tired of the clapguns. Their grandparents then gave them water pistols. They were squirting one another all day long.

When they got tired of the water pistols, their parents went to the gun shop and got them air rifles. The air rifles were a huge success. They shot targets for weeks and weeks. Eventually, they started thinning out the fish in the neighbourhood. Hola now has a scar on her abdomen. It is decorated with a large cross stitch.

After that episode, a friend gave them a bow and sharp arrows. They created a target in the back of their ocean section and practised daily. That is where Revola got his scar—smack bang on the left of his skull. A slight indentation marked the spot where the arrow accidentally entered his exoskeleton. On closer inspection, four stitch marks are visible. Mum and Dad took weeks to pull the arrow from his thick skull.

After the bow-and-arrow encounter, the neighbours showed them how to make a slingshot. They searched the sea’s coral ‘trees’ and cut lovely V-shaped ‘branches’ for their slingshots. Then, they sourced some tubes from the local tyre shop. They cut long, stretchy strips from the tubes. They took some ‘sea leather’ and made a ‘patch’ for the slingshots. They tied the patch to the rubber bands. Voila! They were ready to wreak havoc with their underwater slingshots. They scattered small pebbles all around their ‘house’ —just like Bower Birds—as we know them today.

The two shrimp became excellent shots, and many small fish had to sacrifice their lives. Some sea creatures in the area were psychologically scarred for life. The psychiatrists in the region have become very busy and very wealthy. Sea creatures always pay with coral.

Hola and Pistola’s tenacity and resilience shone through, and they gradually improved their skills every day for years and years on end.

Hola started to grow her left claw more giant than her right claw because she wanted to become a professional boxer. Revola followed her example because he wanted to do some arm wrestling. They both needed a giant claw. Mum would tightly place a crochet glove over their right claws, slowing the growth. Hola shed a tear many nights as she battled the pains in her right claw. The restriction caused much pain. The right claws stayed small. Soon, they both had one giant left claw, ready to pursue their careers. Mum was ecstatic; they would make it big in the boxing and arm wrestling world.

One day, Revola realised that if he quickly moved his small claw open and closed—cocking it—bubbles would escape from it. He continued creating bubbles for several years, shooting them like an underwater water pistol: squirt—squirt—squirt. The claw muscles developed, and you have guessed it. Their tiny claws became pistolas.

IMAGE: The two gunslingers, ready for a cruel duel. AI-generated (July 2026).

They evolved into the real pistol shrimps we know today.

The rest is history. Hola and Revola developed into Pistol Shrimp. Today, their offspring stun their prey and chew them up—for breakfast—every day.

IMAGE. Actual images of a pistol shrimp firing: The bubble bullet it uses to stun its prey is captured in slow motion.

Actual footage: Below is a video showing how fast the claw shuts, firing the bubble at an astonishing speed.

VIDEO: Amazing Pistol Shrimp Stun “Gun” in action.

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Now, it is your turn to be creative and to think a little outside the pistol’s magazine. What creative story will you fire from your claw? Shoot from the hip.

Dear reader, I include the Genesis version of how the pistol crabs were actually created.

Creation by Yahweh

The Bible begins by declaring that Yahweh is the eternal Creator of everything that exists. The universe, the earth, the heavens, and every living creature came into being through His spoken word. Creation was not the result of chance or accident but of God’s intentional design, wisdom, and power. Humanity, made in His image, was created to know Him, steward His creation, and reflect His glory.

Scripture (KJV): Genesis 1:1–3

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
— Genesis 1:1–3 (KJV)

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”

— Genesis 1:20–23 (KJV)