Skeleton shrimp are usually transparent, but may vary in color from tan to brown to reddish. (The Southeastern Regional Taxonomic Center, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources)
Skeleton shrimp are tiny, gangly amphipods with transparent, stick-like bodies. They live attached to hydroids, sponges and vegetation in the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.
Appearance:
Long, gangly, stick-like body
Body is usually transparent, but may vary in color from tan to brown to reddish. Skeleton shrimp can change color to blend in with their background.
Hooked, grasping rear legs
Front legs are folded, similar to a praying mantis
Grow one-half of an inch to 2 inches long
Habitat:
Found on hydroids, sponges and other animals that live attached to piers, rocks and pilings
Also common on bay grasses in shallow waters
Use their hooked rear legs to grasp on to hydroids
Range:
Found in the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay
Feeding:
Eat copepods, algae and detritus
Use their front legs to capture their food
Predators:
Reproduce sexually
Females carry large, transparent egg pouches on their abdomen
Some females may kill males after mating by injecting them with venom from a poisonous claw
After hatching, juveniles immediately attach to hydroids or vegetation
Females are believed to live for one year
Other Facts:
Skeleton shrimp move along hydroid branches similar to the way inchworms crawl
