Mantis shrimp Memes

The joke's on us, humans! This meme perfectly captures our sensory limitations. Many animals see colors we can't even imagine ! Mantis shrimp have 16 color receptors (we have a measly 3) and can see ultraviolet, infrared, and polarized light. Bees see ultraviolet patterns on flowers that are completely invisible to us. The spectrum shown is literally the same twice because... well... we physically can't represent colors we can't see! It's like trying to explain a new color to someone born colorblind. Our brains are literally incapable of processing these wavelengths. Next time you're feeling superior as a species, remember that butterflies are laughing at your pathetic visual system!

The joke here is that both color spectrums shown are identical, yet the meme suggests animals with better color vision would see more. Humans can detect roughly 1 million colors within our visible spectrum (400-700nm wavelengths), while mantis shrimp can see 16 color receptors versus our measly 3. They're literally perceiving reality in ways we can't comprehend. Yet here we are, thinking we're showing their expanded vision using... the exact same rainbow we can already see. Classic human hubris. Like trying to explain 4D with a cube drawing.

Humans: "We can see the entire rainbow! Aren't we special?" Mantis shrimp: *sees ultraviolet, infrared, and colors we can't even imagine* "Cute. You're basically colorblind toddlers." The human visible spectrum is pathetically limited to wavelengths between 380-700 nanometers, while some animals can perceive ultraviolet light below 380nm and infrared above 700nm. Mantis shrimp, nature's overachievers, have 16 photoreceptor types compared to our measly 3. They're literally seeing a world we can't comprehend—like trying to explain TikTok to your grandparents, but with physics.