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 crustacean. 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. So this is the summary about Shrimps. Now, here are some amazing facts about Shrimp you did not know -

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 Decapods. 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 hair like 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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