Everything You Need to Know About Shrimp

1. There are over 25 species of shrimp that can be found all around the world. They have been in existence for millions of years and can be traced back to the time of dinosaurs.

2. Most people don't realize that seafood consumption has increased dramatically since 1970. This is mainly because shrimp production has increased exponentially.

3. In the United States alone, shrimp consume about 2 billion gallons of water each year. That's 8% of total freshwater usage.

4. A female shrimp can produce anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million eggs at a time.

5. When they're ready to spawn, shrimp release eggs into water that are called plankton. Plankton floats near the surface of the ocean where fish like to eat them.

6. Shrimps do not have teeth; instead, they use their claws to tear prey apart.

7. They have been around since the Cambrian period, making them around 500 million years old.

8. Most shrimp do not have legs, but walk using their antennae and feelers.

9. Shrimps do not have teeth, but they have two pairs of claws instead.

10. Shrimps are hermaphroditic marine animals that have a hard shell and live in shallow waters. They breathe through gills located at their sides. Shrimps are cold-blooded, which means they do not produce body heat as mammals do. Their bodies use oxygen from water instead of breathing air. There are over 2200 species of shrimps known worldwide.

11. Shrimps were originally called “prawns” but were renamed in 1828 to differentiate them from true crabs.

12. Shrimps can survive without food for several weeks but cannot survive without water for longer than 24 hours.

13. The male carries the sperms in his tail sack. When he releases them into the ocean, they swim around looking for a mate. If a female approaches him, she picks out one sperm. Then after fertilization, the egg develops inside the female's body and then hatches.

14. Shrimps are small crustaceans that have been around since the early Cambrian era – about 545 million years ago. They live in saltwater oceans, rivers, lakes, estuaries, marshes, mudflats, intertidal areas, and even freshwater bodies. There are over 4,500 known species of shrimps in the world; some can jump out of the water and others can walk on land. Shrimps have been used throughout history as food, bait, medicine, pets, and shellfish. 

15. In the wild, shrimp eat algae and other small aquatic animals.

16. Some shrimp can grow up to 2 inches long.