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Suborder Differences
Although they look similar and taste the same, prawns and shrimp are different animals, belonging to different biological suborders. Prawns and shrimp are both crustaceans. They are both biologically classified in the Decapoda order; however are classified under separate suborders. Shrimp belong to the Pieocyemata suborder, while prawns belong to the Dendrobranchiata suborder.
Body Differences
Prawns and shrimp both have an exoskeleton and three body segments, including a head, thorax, and abdomen. However, there are basic morphological differences, although they may be difficult to detect. You can detect body differences in prawns and shrimp before they have been peeled and deveined.On the underside of a shrimp's body you will notice the thorax overlapping the head and abdomen. However, on a prawn, the head will overlap the thorax and the thorax will overlap the abdomen. The rule of size that suggests prawns are larger does not always apply.
Legs and Gills
Prawns and shrimp each have ten legs that they use to propel themselves through the water. However, a prawn has longer legs with two pairs of front pincers like a lobster. A shrimp has shorter legs with front pincers that are typically larger. Prawns and shrimp also have gill structures that differ. Prawns have a branching gill structure, while a shrimp has a lamellar or plate-like gill structure.
Reproductive Differences
Prawns and shrimp differ in that they follow different reproductive patterns. Both begin their lives as males, but turn into females during their last year of life. Female shrimp hold their eggs in a brood chamber located beneath their abdomen. The brood chamber remains attached to the female shrimp during incubation. When the eggs hatch, they are released into a zoea which sits among the plankton during larval development. A female prawn does not have a brood chamber. The prawn will release her eggs into the current where they develop independently.