Invertebrates
Brown Shrimp
Crangon crangon · also called common shrimp
On a sandy flat as the tide rises, a brown shrimp flicks into the sand and vanishes, leaving only two eyes and a pair of antennae above the grains.
Overview
The brown shrimp, Crangon crangon, is an abundant small shrimp of estuaries and sandy shallows across north-western Europe. Its colour change, sand burying, and role as both prey and fishery make it one of the most important crustaceans of tidal flats.
A shrimp made to vanish
By matching the colour of the sand and burying itself, the brown shrimp escapes most of the many fish and birds that hunt in the shallows.
Status
Not Evaluated, but abundant across its range.
Brown Shrimp: common questions
Why is it called the brown shrimp?
It is almost transparent and greyish in life, and turns brown when boiled.
How does the brown shrimp hide?
It changes its colour to match the sand or mud it is on and buries itself in sand with only its eyes and antennae showing.
What are potted shrimps?
They are brown shrimps cooked and preserved in spiced butter, a speciality of places such as Morecambe Bay.
Where is the brown shrimp found?
It lives on sandy and muddy shallows, estuaries, and tidal flats of the north-eastern Atlantic, the North Sea, the Baltic, and the Mediterranean.