Take a few minutes to dive into the microscopic world of the capricious caprellid known as the skeleton shrimp!

These miniature marvels (all less than 1 in / 2.5 cm) were filmed at the Aquarium—you may have seen them near the beginning of the Wharf exhibit. In this video you’ll see large and small adults, as well freshlysettled, ghostlywhite, young skeleton shrimp on blades of red algae.

Skeleton shrimp (genus Caprella) are amphipods, a very successful type of crustacean that includes nearly 10,000 species. You may be familiar with the amphipods known as “sand fleas,” those chaotic little specks sometimes seen hopping around a beach. Or you might have seen some “kelp curler” amphipods on washed up kelps—those little ocean bugs fold algae over on themselves like a protective burrito.

The skeleton shrimp’s twiggy body makes it look like a coffeedrinking alien from Men In Black, but there’s a lot of function in that form. A skeleton shrimp can seamlessly camouflage itself on the reef by looking like swaying filaments of substrate.

Comparatively colossal claws—known as gnathopods—invite wouldbe attackers to take care. Below these imposing appendages are twin pairs of gills, in the same location a female’s brood pouch would be when gravid.

Plentiful pointy pereopods (limbs) help skeleton shrimp cling to bryozoans, hydroids, algae—and even diver wetsuits. So if you know a local scuba diver, they just might have a skeleton shrimp in their dive closet.

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The Microscopic Marvel of The Skeleton Shrimp | The Critter Corner
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