Information worth knowing about brown shrimp (Crangon crangon)
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Many female shrimp have been born as males?
Yes, most shrimp that are born male end their lives as females. Many become females after having spent the first 2 years as males.
A shrimp is sometimes eaten by another shrimp?
Especially when a shrimp has just moulted, it is very weak and vulnerable. It must be very careful under such circumstance and try to avoid meeting other hungry shrimp because they will eat it.
Chinese crackers are made with shrimp?
Yes, the crackers you are given at the Chinese restaurant are made of shrimp and flour. These crackers are known as kroepoek oedang in Indonesia.
Shrimp have claws just like a crab?
It is not just crabs and lobsters that have claws, shrimp beats them all since they have 4! You do have to look very closely because they are tiny. The claws shrimp have look different too. They only have one movable “finger” which they use to hold things. Shrimp cannot "cut” in the same way as crabs can.
Shrimp can change colour?
Shrimp can also change colour. The only thing is that they cannot do it very quickly. If you place a shrimp in a pot with black sand, it can get a much darker colour in about 20 minutes. Many shrimp species also change colour when they are cooked; they turn a brown pinkish colour.
From 3 kilos of unpeeled shrimp only 1 kilo of peeled shrimp remains?
Since we only eat the shrimp tail, there is a lot of “waste”. This “waste” is not thrown away but is used, for example, in the production of chicken feed.
Shrimp only live for about 3 years?
At this age, male shrimp will be 6 cm at most and females 8.5 cm at most. Very rarely, females will live for 5 years and will be whoppers that sometimes even measure 10 cm.
Shrimp find their food through their sense of smell?
Shrimp do have eyes but cannot see very well (they can only see if it is light or dark). They will find their food by using their keen sense of smell. They use the various feelers they have on their heads for this purpose. Shrimp prefer to go in search of food when it is dark.
A shrimp can lay more than 25,000 eggs in one go?
A female shrimp can produce huge quantities of eggs when she is three years old. She does this 3 times a year. The older and bigger she becomes, the more eggs she can produce. The largest female shrimp can lay nearly 30,000 eggs in one go.
Shrimp keep their eggs under their tails?
Once female shrimp have laid their eggs, they will be picked up by her immediately and attached to her tail with a substance similar to glue. She will swim with the attached eggs for 2 months before they hatch. This way she can ensure her eggs are not eaten.
The common shrimp is also called a sand shrimp?
These shrimp are similar in colouring to sand. If these shrimp bury themselves slightly, nobody will be able to tell they are there. This way, shrimp can catch all kinds of small animals by stealth and, of course, it becomes that little bit more difficult for their enemies to find them.
Shrimp larvae swim on their backs the first few months?
Larvae swim on their backs after hatching. Only after having moulted 6 times will they turn around and swim in the “proper position”.
Juvenile shrimp are a part of the plankton?
Plankton is a collection of plants and animals that drifts in the water. Everything that does not swim against the current of the water is part of the plankton. Most of these plants and animals are incredibly small, but the funny thing is that jellyfish cannot swim against the current either and, therefore, are also part of the plankton (some jellyfish can even become a metre long).
