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How to Identify Shrimp

Shrimp are small marine animals, more specifically decapod crustaceans, that are a popular source of food for sea-going populations around the world. They are easy to identify in relation to most other crustaceans like lobster and crab, but are very similar in appearance to another crustacean, prawns. In some areass the names prawn and shrimp are used somewhat interchangeably, but there is a definite difference between the two that can be identified if you know what to look for.

Instructions

- 1
  Look at the bend in the abdomen. Shrimp typically have a much more pronounced bend in their abdomen, somewhere around 75 degrees, while the bend is much less acute in prawns, and is somewhere around 25 degrees.
- 2
  Examine the claws on the underside of the animal. The legs of a prawn are typically longer than a shrimp's legs, and the prawn's second set of claws will be largest, while the first set will be largest on a shrimp.
- 3
  Compare, if possible, your suspected shrimp with a prawn. Shrimp are typically, though not always, smaller than prawns. In some regions, other factors are ignored and the decapod crustacean, whatever its species may be, is identified as a shrimp or prawn based solely on the relative size of the animal.

Animals & Science