Shrimps

Shrimp are small crustaceans with an elongated body and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion. They are characterized by a semitransparent body flattened from side to side and a flexible abdomen terminating in a fanlike tail. The appendages are modified for swimming, and the antennae are long and whiplike. Shrimp occur in all oceans—in shallow and deep water—and in freshwater lakes and streams. Many species are commercially important as food.