Taylor Coastal Shrimp

This species is commonly found near the shore, often in tidepools.  They are omnivorous and will eat plants, plankton, and scavenge on dead animals.  They are near the bottom of the food chain, so they have many predators, like crabs, sea urchins, starfish, and seabirds.  Similar to other shrimp, during reproduction the male transfers a packet of sperm called a spermatophore to a pouch on the female’s abdomen.   The female will produce eggs that she keeps in the same pouch until hatching. When the eggs hatch, the larvae over multiple weeks drift along in the current as nauplius and then metamorphose into zoea.  The zoea larvae then develop into juvenile shrimp which can swim to food and usually end up by the shore, where they live and mate as adults.