Skeleton shrimp are a family of slender, stick-like crustaceans, Caprellidae, within the order Amphipoda. Named for their thin, elongated bodies that make them resemble a bare skeleton, they cling to seaweed, hydroids and other underwater structures with hook-like rear legs, standing upright and swaying like a praying mantis while using their front claws to snatch passing small prey.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Comparison
CITES Appendix Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Skeleton Shrimp
In Biome
Source Caprellidae (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Wikidata: Nudibranch
Additional Source Kelp forest (Wikipedia)Article text
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Caprellidae (Wikipedia)
Introduction
Caprellidae
article text (diet), EntityId 312583
Caprellids are omnivorous, feeding on diatoms, detritus, protozoans, smaller amphipods and crustacean larvae.
In Biome: Intertidal Zone, Ecology
A few species are found in the ocean depths, but most prefer low intertidal zones and subtidal waters among eelgrass, hydroids and bryozoans.
View the Source2. GBIF Species API
3. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ2937563, descriptionView the Source 4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Animalia
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 23Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 23
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/D/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Animals","language":"EN"},{"name":"Fauna","language":"EN"},{"name":"Animaux","language":"FR"}],"cites_listings":[]
Wikidata: Skeleton Shrimp
- Wikidata Q2937563, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Child Taxon Of: Malacostraca, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the SourceKelp forest (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem: Kelp Forests, Article textQuote, In Ecosystem: Kelp Forests, Article text
For example, in California, Macrocystis pyrifera forests, the nudibranch Melibe leonina, and skeleton shrimp Caprella californica are closely associated with surface canopies; the kelp perch Brachyistius frenatus, rockfish Sebastes spp.
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