The shrimp is a ten-legged crustacean belonging to the phylum arthropod and the order decapoda ("deca" is Greek for 10 and "-poda" means "foot"). It has an exoskeleton and a body composed of a combined head and chest.
A shrimp's heart is located in its head. This may be an evolutionary advantage as the internal organs are possibly safer in the head region. Shrimp breathe through gills and live on ocean and lake floors.
More about shrimp:
- Crustaceans, including shrimp, are one of the primary food groups Americans are allergic to.
- There are more than 2,000 shrimp species in the world.
- The female shrimp can lay up to 1 million eggs.