shrimpArticle Free Pass shrimp, any of the approximately 2,000
species of the suborder Natantia (order Decapoda of the class
Crustacea). Close relatives include crabs, crayfish, and
lobsters. Shrimp are characterized by a semitransparent body
flattened from side to side and a flexible abdomen terminating
in a fanlike tail. The appendages are modified for swimming, and
the antennae are long and whiplike. Shrimp occur in all
oceans—in shallow and deep water—and in freshwater lakes and
streams. Many species are commercially important as food. Shrimp
range in length from a few millimetres to more than 20
centimetres (about 8 inches); average size is about 4 to 8 cm
(1.5 to 3 in.). Larger individuals are often called prawns.
Shrimp swim backward by rapidly flexing the abdomen and tail.
Their food consists mostly of small plants and animals, although
some shrimp feed on carrion. The female shrimp may lay from
1,500 to 14,000 eggs, which are attached to the swimming legs.
The swimming larvae pass through five develo