Facts About Donald Duck Shrimps
Donald Duck Shrimp or Plume Shrimp is a small weird looking sea creature. These shrimps are scientifically known as Leander plumosus. They live in the shallow coral reefs of Maldives Islands. Even before 1994, no one knew anything about this species of crustacean.
A Donald Duck Shrimp has a long rostrum. It
almost seems like a long beak. That duck like beak has given it the nickname “Donald
Duck”. The pseudo beak is also hairy.
Donald Duck Shrimps are rare. They are
small in size. Their average body length is 2 to 1.5 cm. There orange body
color and bizarre shape helps them to hide well in the coral environments. Very
small sea worms and larva of other species are their main food items. They are
carnivores.
L. plumosus belongs to the Palaemoninae
sub-family. Palaemoninae sub family members are all carnivores. They are all
shallow water dweller shrimps. There are 29 species including our shrimp in
this group.
Plume Shrimp cannot be seen or found very
often. That is why any extensive data about them is not readily available till
date. That is why there conservation status is unknown.
FAQ
What is a rostrum?
We have said earlier that L. plumosus have
a beak like long “rorstrum”. A rostrum is a beak like body part. Many animals
have them like Bottlenose Dolphins, Weevils, many types of bugs etc. In case of
shrimps, the rostrum is nothing but an extension of their carapace or head
shield.
What is the difference between a shrimp and
a lobster?
Shrimps and Lobsters are closely related
aqua animals. Anybody can guess that from the similarity of their shape. Shrimps
can be found in both fresh and salt water bodies but almost all of the lobster
species are marine dwellers. Another importance difference is size. Lobsters
are considerably bigger in size than the shrimps. Shrimps are swimmers but
lobsters are bottom crawlers. The pregnant shrimps carry the eggs inside their
body but lobsters are not known for such behaviors.
Where do Donald Duck Shrimps live?
They are small marine animals. But they do
not live everywhere in the oceans. They are very localized creatures. Till date,
these shrimps are only located in the shallow coral reef areas of the Maldives
islands.
Why the Plume Shrimp is called as a “Crustacean”?
Crustacean
is the name of a group of invertebrate animals. Their bodies are covered with protective
shells or exo-skeletons. The exo-skeleton of a crustacean is made of many
smaller plates. Most of them live in water – both in rivers and oceans. Some of
the well known crustacean are crabs, shrimps, lobsters, prawns, crayfishes, etc.
To know more about strange sea creatures,
other marine animals and everything about ocean, please subscribe to our blog.
You can also follow us in social media to stay updated. You can also contact us and give your opinions
regarding our posts via these social channels. Our official social media
accounts are listed below:
