Captive Critters: The Shrimps

The bigclaw snapping shrimp, also known as the pistol shrimp, produces a loud, staccato concussive noise with its snapping claw. The sound is produced when the claw snaps shut at great speed creating a high-speed water jet. This creates a small, short-lived cavitation bubble and it is the immediate collapse of this bubble that creates the sound. The snapping noise serves to deter predators and to stun prey, and is also used for display purposes.(2)

The Chesapeake Bay and Lynnhaven River are home to various shrimp species.

The most common edible shrimp in the Chesapeake Bay are known as penaeid shrimp, particularly Atlantic white shrimp, which are becoming more prevalent due to rising temperatures.

Other large, edible species such as brown and pink shrimp are also found, although they are generally less common than white shrimp.

The tiny, translucent common grass shrimp is extremely abundant but is not typically considered suitable for human consumption.

Shrimp school and swarm around the farm sometimes when we are working. This shrimp decided to find refuge in a basket full of oysters waiting to be counted. Some locals have taken to baiting shrimp and using cast nets to capture these tasty critters which are also a prized bait for fishermen.

The colorful bigclaw snapping shrimp, like many of the other captive critters we have highlighted, has underwater audio superpowers which contributes to a noisy aquatic soundscape.

As a child, bobbing my head underwater so my ears were submerged, I always wondered where all of the grunts, clicks and snapping noises came from. Now I know!

Also common in our waters, the mantis shrimp is actually not a true shrimp. Also known as "thumb splitters" due to their powerful appendages, the mantis is one captive critter I am glad we have not come across.

Some other captive critters we find are:

• Oyster Toadfish, Spotfin Butterfly Fish, Sea Bass, Pinfish and Blennies, Juvenile Sheepshead, Gobies Grunts & Skilletfish,

• and other shellfish like scallops, razor clams, and the predatory driller snails.