To listen to this article, please select Control + Shift + Z to launch the pop-up player.

Browser out-of-date!

You are using an out-of-date web browser, to avoid problems when using A-Z Animals and other sites we strongly recommend you upgrade to the latest version of your web browser!

A-Z Animals - Animal Facts, Images and Resources

Animals >>

Prawn

Add to Phobia Filter

Contribute

Listen

Prawns are crustaceans similar in appearance to shrimps, but they can be distinguished by the gill structure which is branching in prawns and not in shrimp. The prawn is also related to the crab and the lobster.

Prawns are found in calmer waters were the prawns can nest in the water plants to lay their eggs. Like the shrimp, the prawn does tend to prefer the warmer waters in the tropics but some species of prawn are found in the Northern Hemisphere.

The prawn feeds by filtering nutritious particles out of the water flowing around the prawn, and the prawn is therefore often found on rocks or close to the sea floor.

Prawns are a common source of food for humans around the world, particularly in areas where the prawn exists naturally such as south east Asia.

Prawn Comments (4)

jimmy

"so cool"

Jike

"How many eggs does a prawn lay"

knoble

"AMAZING. i never knew prawns were so interesting! "

Showing 3 of 4 comments.

Show More Comments

Post Comment

Article Tools

	Print Article View printer friendly version of Prawn article.
	Listen to Article Listen to audio version of Prawn article. Hot key: + +

Prawn Facts

Kingdom: Five groups that classify all living things...	Animalia
Phylum: A group of animals within the animal kingdom...	Arthropoda
Class: A group of animals within a pylum...	Crustacea
Order: A group of animals within a class...	Decapoda
Family: A group of animals within an order...	Dendrobranchiata

Common Name: Most widely used name for the species...	Prawn
Scientific Name: Comprised of the genus followed by the species...	Dendrobranchiata
Origin: The area where the animal first came from...	Worldwide
Size: How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is...	1cm - 15cm (0.4in - 5.9in)
Type: The animal group that the species belongs to...	Fresh, Brackish, Salt
PH Level:	6.5-9.0
Life Span: How long the animal lives for...	2-4 years
Conservation Status: The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct...	Least Concern

Colour: The colour of the animal's coat or markings...	Pink, Grey, Black, White
Skin Type: The protective layer of the animal...	Shell
Favourite Food:	Fish
Habitat: The specific area where the animal lives...	Rocky, coastal waters
Average Litter Size: The average number of babies born at once...	100
Main Prey: The food that the animal gains energy from...	Fish, Insects, Plankton
Predators: Other animals that hunt and eat the animal...	Human, Fish, Squid
Special Features:	Hard, curved body and beady eyes

Related Animals

	Crab There are 93 different crab groups!
	Shrimp There are 2,000 different species worldwide!
	King Crab Can have a leg span of nearly 2 meters!
	Lobster Have been known to reach 100 years old!