Head to head
Brown Shrimp vs Common Prawn
Brown Shrimp
VS Common Prawn
The brown shrimp and the common prawn are the two best-known small crustaceans of European shores, and both are eaten, but they live on different sorts of shore.
| Brown Shrimp | Common Prawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Crangon crangon | Palaemon serratus |
| Relationship | A small crustacean of the shrimp and prawn kind | A small crustacean of the shrimp and prawn kind |
| Size | Usually 5 to 9 cm long | Usually 6 to 11 cm long |
| Appearance | A sandy, speckled body that can change colour to match the sand, mud, or gravel it is on | A transparent body with fine purple-brown bands and spots, and a long, upturned, toothed snout |
| Habitat | Sandy and muddy shallows, estuaries, and tidal flats | Rock pools, kelp, and the shallows of rocky shores |
| Hiding | Buries itself in sand with only its eyes and antennae showing | Hides in crevices and under weed, nearly invisible because it is transparent |
| On the plate | Fished in large numbers in the North Sea and in bays such as Morecambe Bay, where it is made into potted shrimps | Caught and eaten in many places, especially Spain, Portugal, and France |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated, but abundant across north-western Europe | Not Evaluated, but abundant on rocky shores |
Brown Shrimp vs Common Prawn: common questions
Why is it called the brown shrimp?
It is almost transparent and greyish in life, and turns brown when boiled.
What are potted shrimps?
They are brown shrimps cooked and preserved in spiced butter, a speciality of places such as Morecambe Bay.
Which one lives on rocky shores?
The common prawn, which lives in rock pools and among kelp, while the brown shrimp lives on sand and mud.