Difference Between Prawns and Shrimps (With Table)

Prawns can be found towards the bottom of fresh or brackish (slightly saline) water. Three of the legs of these crustaceans contain claws, which you may see if one buys their seafood unpeeled. The shell segments of prawns overlap down their abdomen, resulting in a less pronounced bend in their bodies.

Shrimp are little crustacean that lives in seawater. There are a few little but distinct traits to check for to determine whether your crustacean is a shrimp. Two of the shrimp’s legs have claws, and the second shell segment covers the first and third shell segments. This gives their form a characteristic curve, which is another element to look for while shopping for seafood.

Comparison Table Between Prawns and Shrimps

What is Prawns?

A prawn is a tiny aquatic crustacean with an exoskeleton and ten legs that belong to the Decapoda order and may be eaten. Prawns are large swimming crustaceans or shrimp, particularly those with commercial significance in the fishing industry, in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth nations. Prawns are available in a range of colors, including black, pink, white, and grey.

A Palaemon prawn may grow to be six to eight inches long when completely developed. When collected, the fish seems to have a light blue color. It has an elongated and cylindrical body. The prawn’s body is somewhat flattened from one side to the other. Prawns live for two to three years. They achieve sexual maturity between the ages of six and eight months and spawn in the open ocean.

Tiger prawns typically spawn in the spring and summer, but king prawns spawn all year. A single prawn can spawn many times in a single year. The female lays hundreds of thousands of eggs. The prawn’s life cycle is variable, with three distinct stages. The three groups are estuarine, marine, and mixed. In saltwater, the estuarine life cycle is completed.

One subspecies that goes through this life cycle is the greasy back prawn. Royal red prawns live in ocean habitats and are part of the marine life cycle. The mixed life cycle is special because it is the life cycle that baby prawns follow.

During this life cycle, female prawns shed their fertilized eggs at the ocean’s bottom. The eggs remain on the ocean floor until the kids are ready to be born. This cycle is repeated until the youngster reaches maturity. The mixed life cycle happens for two to three weeks.

What is Shrimps?

Shrimp have a semitransparent, flattened body with a flexible abdomen that culminates in a fanlike tail. The legs have been developed for swimming, and the antennae are broad and whiplike. Shrimp may be found in both deep and shallow waters, as well as freshwater lakes and streams. For food production, several species are essential.

Shrimp may range in length from a few millimeters to more than 8 inches, with the average size being 1.5 to 3 inches. Prawns are a term used to describe larger persons. Shrimp swim backward by bending their abdomens and tails quickly. Although some shrimp eat carrion, they eat largely tiny plants and animals. Female shrimp may deposit anywhere between 1,500 and 14,000 eggs on their swimming legs.

Before they mature into juveniles, the swimming larvae go through five phases of development. A shrimp’s color is affected by its natural environment. Some subspecies may alter their hue to blend in with their environment. Shrimp in tropical and subtropical environments have vibrant colors. Others are translucent, making it harder for predators to notice them.

In muddy riverbeds, brown and green shrimp can be found. Shrimp filter the water around them or sift across the ocean floor to absorb minute plant and animal materials. Small fish are also caught and eaten by some shrimp species.

Main Differences Between Prawns and Shrimps

1. Prawns live in both fresh and saltwater, however, unlike shrimp, the majority of kinds live in freshwater.
2. Prawns are bigger and have three sets of claws on their legs. Shrimp are smaller, have shorter legs, and just two sets of claws.
3. Shrimp and prawns belong to separate branches of the crustacean family. The pleocyemata suborder includes shrimp, whereas the dendrobranchiate suborder includes prawns. Their anatomy differs in different ways.
4. The gills of shrimp are plate-like and lamellar, but the gills of prawns are branching.
5. The shrimp’s outer skeleton prevents it from bending, resulting in a rather straight body shape whereas shrimp have a tight curl to their body.

Conclusion

The words “shrimp” and “prawns” are frequently interchanged over the world. They can be classified based on their size, form, or the sort of water in which they reside. Prawns and shrimp, on the other hand, are scientifically separate. They are physically diverse and stem from various branches of the crustacean family tree. Their nutritional compositions, however, are quite similar.

Each one is high in protein, excellent fats, vitamins, and minerals. The differences between prawns and shrimps are frequently misinterpreted. Despite common perception in some parts of the world, they are not the same animal. The difference between a shrimp and a prawn may be determined by studying their legs.

References

1. https://academic.oup.com/jcb/article/18/4/823/2419049?login=true
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0044848698001781