'Crangon' is Greek for shrimp.

Physical description
Shrimps are characterised by a semi-transparent body flattened from side to side and a flexible abdomen terminating in a fanlike tail. The appendages are modified for swimming and the antennae are long and whiplike. This species is a small brown shrimp covered in tiny spots.

Distribution
They inhabit coastal waters from the North Sea to the Mediterranean.

Habitat
Common shrimps inhabit bay shores and inlets of the sea.

Diet
They feed on small molluscs and fish and occasionally plants.

Behaviour
During the day, these shrimps stay in shallow burrows and at night they emerge to feed. They detect their prey by smell and they catch them using their claws. Shrimps swim backwards by rapidly flexing the abdomen and tail.

They are able to alter the brightness of their colouration in order to blend in with their backgrounds.

Reproduction
The female shrimp may lay from 1,500 to 14,000 eggs, which are attached to the swimming legs. The larvae pass through five developmental stages before becoming mature.

Conservation status
They are not listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Notes
Common shrimps are edible.