As far as invertebrates go, mantis shrimps are celebrities. They’re so creepy that they have come out the other side to become cool, and their penchant for punching or stabbing their prey with remarkable speed making them a pop science hit every time a new paper about their behavior drops. Not that any of this is brand new in evolutionary terms. Just like every other group of organisms alive today, mantis shrimps have a fossil record, and the latest member of their famous family has shown up in an unexpected place.

Marine biologists have counted 27 living species of mantis shrimp along North America’s Pacific coast. Most of these are scattered through the warmer waters of California and its southern Gulf.