Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
opossum shrimp
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quizzes
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.
Animal Factoids
Related Questions
Read Next
Japanese spider crab
10 Animals With Evolutionary Traits Plucked Straight Out of a Nightmare
Malayan Leaf Frog - Megophrys nasuta
9 Animals That Look Like Leaves
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) standing on rock, side view, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
The Fastest Animals on Earth
Big beaver gnawing on limb at river's edge
6 Animal Species that Mate for Life
Cuban Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) single adult male, Zapata peninsula, Cuba, Caribbean.Bee hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world.
Queen Mab’s Stable: 7 of the Smallest Animals
Discover
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci

opossum shrimp

crustacean
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/animal/opossum-shrimp
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Mysidacea, mysid, possum shrimp
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Also called:
possum shrimp or mysids

opossum shrimp, any member of the crustacean order Mysidacea. Most of the nearly 1,000 known species live in the sea; a few live in brackish water; and fewer still live in fresh water. Most are 1 to 3 cm (about 0.4 to 1.2 inches) long. The name opossum shrimp derives from the females’ brood pouch, in which embryos spend several weeks.

Most mysids live in cold water, often at great depths. Some burrow into or crawl along the bottom; others creep among vegetation. Certain species swim in the open water, occasionally forming swarms consisting of great numbers of individuals. The freshwater species Mysis relicta, which is common in cold lakes of North America, Great Britain, and northern Europe, is an important food for lake trout in the Great Lakes. Some species, such as Heteromysis cotti of the Canary Islands, live in caves and are either blind or have poorly developed eyes.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.