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Invertebrates That Eat Shrimp

Known as decapod crustaceans, shrimp have 10 legs and are found in freshwater and saltwater. They have a shell, but it is thinner and softer than the shells of other crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs. Shrimp feed on small animals, scraps of carrion and seaweed. Shrimp are invertebrates, and are an important food source for all types of aquatic animals, including other invertebrates.

What Is an Invertebrate?
- Animals without a backbone are called invertebrates. Approximately 95 percent of all animal species belong to this group. Jellyfish and worms are invertebrates with a fluid-filled skeleton; insects and crustaceans have an outer shell. Common types of invertebrates include annelids, mollusks and arthropods.
Crustaceans
- Shrimp are small, and almost all sea predators eat them. Other crustaceans such as crabs prey on shrimp. Shrimp also prey on other types of shrimp, and adults cannibalize juveniles of the same species.
Mollusks
- Mollusks include animals such as snails and slugs. Some marine snail species are predatory carnivores and capture live shrimp, others feed on dead shrimp on the sea floor. Sea slugs are also known to eat shrimp. Squid and octopus use their long arms to catch shrimp. Despite its name, the cuttlefish is a mollusk that eats shrimp.
Jellyfish and Other Predators
- Jellyfish are carnivores and larger jellyfish eat shrimp. Many starfish species prey on shrimp, clams and oysters. The sack-like cardiac stomach emerges from the mouth of the jellyfish and covers the shrimp to digest it. Sea anemones use their tentacles to catch shrimp, and some species of marine worm also prey on shrimp.

Animals & Science