Top 15 Interesting Facts About Shrimp...
Among the bounty of creatures living in the world’s oceans, shrimp are perhaps the most
widely known marine crustacea. Shrimp exist in a dazzling array of shapes, sizes, and
colors. They comprise 2,000 species and are found in deep ocean waters, shallow tidal
waters, and freshwater, in every region of every continent but Antarctica. They are tiny,
intriguing creatures living on the bottom of the oceans and play a vital role in maintaining
the ecological balance of the sea.
1. There are thousands of shrimp species around the world.
Shrimp are primarily swimmers, not crawlers.
2. Size varies considerably by species.
Shrimp aren’t always so, well, ‘shrimpy’. While small shrimp are usually around ½ an
inch in length (from head to tail), some varieties can grow to be 12 inches or longer. The tiger
shrimp, an invasive species in the Gulf, can grow to be roughly the length of an adult’s
forearm and has more tail meat than the average lobster.
3. Shrimp are excellent swimmers.
One of the fun facts about shrimp that you might not know is that these arthropods are
actually quite good at swimming. They can propel themselves backwards quickly by flexing
the muscles of their abdomen and tail, or swim forward more slowly using the appendages
on the underside of their tail.
4. Some shrimp can loudly snap their pincers.
The ocean may look peaceful, but it can get pretty noisy below the surface when there
are snapping shrimp around. Certain shrimp species are able to make a snapping sound
that is louder than any other marine noise by hitting their large and small pincers together.
It’s believed they do this to communicate with other shrimp or temporarily stun their
prey.
5. Shrimp are omnivorous.
Shrimp typically consume microscopic plant and animal matter by filtering the water around
them or sifting through the ocean floor. Certain types of shrimp also catch and eat small fish.
6. Shrimp are an important part of their ecosystem.
Shrimp are an important source of food for many crabs, fish, sea urchins, whales, dolphins,
and seabirds. Some species of shrimp also have a symbiotic relationship with fish and
clean parasites, bacteria, and fungi off their host.
7. Shrimp contain a cancer-fighting mineral.
You’ll want to keep this shrimp information in mind: if the small crustacean is a part
of your diet, it may reduce your risk of developing cancer. That’s because shrimp contain selenium,
an antioxidant mineral that activates enzymes to fight the growth of cancer-causing free
radicals.
8. Shrimp exist in a dazzling array of shapes, sizes, and colors. They comprise 2,000 species
and are found in deep ocean waters, shallow tidal waters, and freshwater, in every region
of every continent but Antarctica.
9. They are arthropods—the shelled, segmented phylum that includes all insects, arachnids,
and crustaceans. More specifically, shrimp are part of the order Decapoda. All decapods
have ten legs, a trait shrimps share with their cousins—crabs and lobsters.
10. Large shrimp are often called prawns, and vice versa. While they look very much
alike, shrimp are more closely related to crabs and lobsters than they are to prawns.
Prawns differ in that they have three pairs of pincers rather than a shrimp’s two, they
don’t have a pronounced abdomen bend, and they don’t “brood” their eggs—females
release them right into the water.
11. “Cleaner shrimp” survive by eating parasites and dead tissue off of other creatures.
Many of these shrimp species live in coral reefs, where they hang out at what biologists
call “cleaning stations”— places where fish, sea turtles, and eels go to be nibbled
clean.
12. Shrimp can breed only after a female molts. A male deposits sperm on a female’s underbelly.
The female releases eggs (25,000 to a million at a time), which pass through the sperm and
are fertilized. She carries the eggs on hairlike structures on her legs, where they’re protected
by the shell that soon regrows. Weeks later, the tiny hatchlings are dispersed into the
water.
13. While most shrimp species live from 9 to 18 months, some, such as the North Atlantic
shrimp, live to eight years.
14. Different species of shrimp can vary in the appearance of their physical characteristics.
However, the bodily characteristics of the decapod shrimp are extremely common throughout
the 2,000 different types currently known to exist.
15. Their bodies are divided into two parts: the thorax and the head. The two components
are connected by the cephalothorax and narrow abdomen. The body itself is protected by a
hard shell known as the carapace. The mouth of the shrimp works in conjunction with its
gills. Guarded by the hard exterior shell, the gills allow it to derive oxygen from the
surrounding waters.
Its legs, eyes, and rostrum also grow out of their hard shell. In order to protect themselves
from predators, shrimp possess a sharp beak or nose, called the rostrum, that extends
off the head of their body. This beak also serves as a stabilizer when swimming backward
and forwards in the water.
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