What Do Shrimp Eat?
These Crustaceous Critters are a Miracle of Nature
Shrimp are unique animals. Not only because shrimp taste delicious and go well with almost anything, but they also help keep our waters clean. Imagine these creatures as highly efficient workers constantly cleaning the bottoms of our lakes and oceans. Next time you’re enjoying crystal clear water on a sunny day, thank shrimp!
There are approximately 2,000 types of shrimp out there, though many more are yet to be discovered and identified by scientists. Naturally, all of them have different types of diets. Let’s dive in and uncover what these crustaceans tend to eat on a typical day and why they taste so delicious!
Image courtesy of NOAA
Pink Shrimp Diet
Pink shrimp love to eat plankton (no, not that Plankton!). This diet of microscopic animals and plants helps them grow faster than any other type of shrimp. The speed at which pink shrimp mature is part of the reason why this is the most common shrimp at the grocery store.
These animals are hard workers. They spend 24 hours a day and seven days a week scraping the bottoms of the oceans to find food. Algae and bacterial films are released during this amazing workout, which, in turn, becomes their main meal.
Image courtesy of Museum of the Pacific
Pacific Cleaner Shrimp Diet
Pacific Cleaner Shrimp are some of the most astonishing looking creatures you’ll ever see! These little fellows, who can be identified due to their 10 legs, got their name from their diet. Pacific Cleaner Shrimp tend to eat parasites and dead tissue released from fish. Hard to believe they taste so good when their diet consists of dead fish, but hey, they’re tasty!
They are born males, but become hermaphroditic at the end of their lives.
Brown Rock Shrimp Diet
Brown Rock Shrimp tend to live shorter lives, between two to three years. But, they more than make up for it by being extremely reproductive during their short life span.
They like to stay near the bottom of the ocean floor snacking on plankton and even other crustaceans. (Shrimp stuffed shrimp, that’s more like it!) As crazy as it sounds, shrimp do on occasion eat fellow shrimps. This happens rarely, and the most common reason is when there is no other food available. Bigger size shrimp will eat smaller shrimp, especially when the smaller ones are weakened or about to die.
When Do Shrimp Eat?
We’ve covered a lot of the “what”, but what about the “when”?.
Shrimp are nocturnal animals and tend to eat when their predators are inactive. If you are wondering how often they have their feasts it’s a bit less specific. Shrimp do not adhere to regular eating schedules—no breakfast, lunch, or dinner here. They eat whenever they feel like it or when they need to recharge their energy.
Bonus Fact!
Humans aren’t the only ones who love eating shrimp. Flamingos’ diet consists mostly of shrimp and is the reason for their pink color. Flamingos are born in their natural white color, but they turn into the reddish hue we recognize when they start eating shrimp as they reach their adult lives. Beta-carotene is the red pigment that is found in pink shrimp and other types of food such as carrots, sweet potatoes, papayas, and apricots. Fortunately, beta-carotene does not turn humans pink!
Add Shrimp to Your Diet at Timoti’s Seafood Shak
All this shrimp talk has got us hungry! Timoti’s Seafood Shak in Fernandina Beach and Nocatee, Florida is serving up fresh, wild-caught shrimp seven days a week!