Photo: Dezidor · Image source ·CC BY 3.0
Animal profile · Crustaceans · Coldwater shrimp
Northern prawn
Pandalus borealis
The northern prawn is a cold-water shrimp of muddy northern seas. It begins life as a male and later changes sex to become female.
Not a fish · an aquatic neighborWater
Saltwater
Cold continental shelves and organic-rich muddy seafloors.
Temperature
Range not established
A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not established from the reviewed sources, so both values are null.
Size
Up to about 16 cm (6.3 in)
About the length of a smartphone
Lifespan
Usually about 8 years, though regional estimates vary.
Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.
01 · Signature adaptation
What does it do?
It swims above soft sediment and gathers in productive cold-water areas. Adults can move vertically through the water column to feed.
02 · Home coordinates
Where does it live?
Northern Atlantic and Arctic waters, with related Pacific populations often treated separately.
Regions: North Atlantic · Arctic Ocean · North Pacific
03 · The menu
What does it eat?
Larvae and adults filter or pick plankton and small drifting organisms from the water.
Planktivore and omnivore: phytoplankton, diatoms, zooplankton, small jellyfish.
04 · Remember this
Two wow facts
Sex-changing shrimp
Northern prawns mature first as males and later transform into females.
Sources [2]
Mud-bottom preference
Organic-rich mud provides an especially important habitat for this species.
Sources [1]