When buying frozen shrimp in a store or ordering a signature dish from them in a restaurant, we hardly think about how these little creatures live and what they are. But each of them is unique in its own way. For example, Angelfoot shrimp breaks records for survival and population growth. Her meat for humans is the most healthy, the most tender and delicious. Therefore, these crustaceans are caught on a gigantic scale. Nevertheless, the number of Anglo-tailed shrimp is not reduced. On the contrary, their population is gradually growing, due to which they even lifted the catch limit. We offer you to get acquainted with the features of these amazing creatures, adapted to live well in such an uncomfortable world for them.
Habitat
Angelfish shrimp can exist only in cool waters, the temperature of which is not lower than -0.1 ° C and not higher than -1.7 ° C (according to other sources, from -1.7 ° C to +3.5 ° C. Optimal for yourself these mollusks found conditions in the Sea of Okhotsk, where their concentration is very high. Due to this, shrimp are often called Okhotsk shrimps. In addition, there are many of them in the Bering Sea, in the Anadyr and Navarinsky bays, along the Koryak coast. Puget Sound, off the Asian coast, in the southern part Sakhalin in Aniva Bay, from the Chukchi Sea to Peter the Great Bay, they prefer to stay where there are no strong currents, close to the muddy bottom at depths of 20-90 m, less often 120 m and even 140 m.However, they have an inherent vertical migration That is, shrimp can rise in the water column to a height of 10 m or stay closer to the bottom. The most regular daily migration. In the evening they rise and fall in the morning.
Tailed Shrimp: Description
This marine inhabitant is a mollusk; it belongs to the Crustacean infraorder and to the Decapod order. In fact, the legs of the shrimp are not 10, but more. So, she needs 5 pairs of chest limbs for movement, 3 pairs of head for hunting and protection, and tail legs for swimming. In males, the first pair of head legs turned into an organ for reproduction.
The size of the prawn shrimp depends on its age. So, in a year and a half it is 40-50 mm, in 2.5 years - 75 mm, and in 3.5 years - 80-90 mm. At the same time, its weight reaches 8 grams. Shrimp live on average 5 years, but under favorable circumstances they can reach up to 7 years. The name "Anglo-Tailed" was given to her because her tail is at an angle to the line of her body. These crustaceans do not have a skeleton as such; it is replaced by a shell. On their heads they have eyes, as well as long antennae with which shrimps touch and smell. Underneath are antennas with which they recognize chemicals.
Breeding
Not only its “growth", but also the sex during the course of life is changed by the shrimp. The photo above shows how it undergoes morphological changes. These mollusks are inherently dioecious, that is, they have female and male individuals. But they belong to a group of living creatures called protandric hermaphrodites. “Protandric” from Greek is translated as “first a man”. This means that these mollusks are born by males, and by about 3 years old they become females, but at this age they can still act as males. Further, the shrimp lose their male function. Their marriage ritual is short. The female releases odorous pheromones into the water that attract males. Mating lasts less than a minute. Shrimp spawn in spring. Their eggs are very small, blue in color. One female can lay as many as 30 eggs, but in general hundreds of thousands of them are laid.
Lifestyle
Coral shrimp as a species survives due to its abundance. Tiny larvae hatch from eggs from late May to July. In the process of growth, they drop the old shell that has become cramped seven times and become covered with a new one.
Shrimp are predators. Their diet is made up of small plankton organisms. During the day, shrimps mostly hide in silt. Outside, they expose only their antennas and antonella. Their tail legs are so arranged that they give them the opportunity to jump back in case of danger, which knocks down the predators that hunt them, and saves their lives.
Role in the biological chain
Angelfish shrimp plays a huge role in the biosystem of the seas and oceans. Its larvae, feeding on plankton representatives, themselves also enter into its composition and are the main food for many marine animal species. Shrimp grown are the favorite food of cod and pollock. In the stomachs of large individuals, sometimes up to 70 shrimp eaten by them are found. A dead fish eat some species of shrimp. The scavenger is not a scavenger. She eats exclusively fresh and organic food. Perhaps that is why her meat has such a high taste.
