Researchers name loud shrimp after Pink Floyd

OXFORD, England – A newly discovered species of shrimp that uses a bright pink claw to create a sound loud enough to kill small fish has been named for Pink Floyd.

The shrimp found on Panama’s Pacific coast has been dubbed Synalpheus pinkfloydi in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. Oxford University Museum of Natural History researcher Sammy De Grave is one of three researchers credited with discovering the creature. He says the description of the shrimp was “the perfect opportunity to finally give a nod to my favorite band.”

According to Oxford, pistol or snapping shrimps close their enlarged claws at a rapid speed to create an imploding bubble. The result is a sound so loud it can kill or stun a fish.

Pink Floyd is also honored in nature with a damselfly named after its 1969 album “Ummagumma.”