Corophium volutator (known locally as mud shrimp) are actually
not shrimp but a member of a suborder of crustaceans known as
amphipods. These fine fellows inhabit the upper layers of mud in
the Bay of Fundy and play a vital role in this complex
ecosystem. Corophium keeps a very low profile: so low in fact
that until a couple of decades ago Fundy 's mudflats (fully
exposed at low tide) were considered lifeless wastelands of
little ecological interest. But, as sandpipers have known for
ages and scientists have recently learned, if you probe beneath
the surface, the mud is home to unbelievably large numbers of
these tiny amphipods. For the etymologists in the familly:
volutator comes from the Latin volutare, meaning "to wallow".
Seems apt for these mud loving creatures!