Animal Spotlight
Spot Prawn
Pandalus platyceros
Shrimp with Style
Meet the spot prawn, the largest shrimp off the U.S. West Coast. These clever crustaceans start life as males, then switch to females as they mature, with females often reaching a whopping 10.5 inches long. At night, spot prawns migrate upward to hunt and mingle, retreating to deeper waters by sunrise to dodge predators. They’re master burrowers too, using head appendages to funnel oxygen-rich water to their gills while hidden in seafloor sediments. When faced with predators, the spot prawn will execute a sudden backflip using its muscular tail or abdomen for momentum.
Habitat
Reefs and pilings, with adults inhabiting deep rocky areas while juveniles are typically bottom dwellers
Diet
Smaller live organisms like worms, mollusks, and other shrimp, as well as decaying organisms
Predators
Pacific hake, octopus, seals, and other larger marine animals
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Phylum
Arthropoda
Meet the Neighbors
Nestled in the rocky shores of The Tide Pool, spot prawns share their habitat with a variety of other species like the bat star.
Bat Star
Vital ocean clean-up crews with a fuzzy appearance you can feel for yourself at The Tide Pool.
Ready to Visit?
Feel bat stars, spot prawns, anemones, and more in one of the only cold-water touch habitats on Florida’s west coast.