23 Animals that Love to Eat Shrimp

Shrimp may seem small and insignificant but they are actually an important food source for many animals around the world. In this article, we’ll look at 23 different animals that regularly eat shrimp as part of their diet. Understanding what eats shrimp can give us insight into aquatic food chains and the connections between different ecosystems.

Fish

Fish are one of the most common shrimp predators. The following fish species regularly consume shrimp:

Catfish

Catfish are omnivorous fish that eat anything they can find including shrimp. Common catfish like channel catfish scrape up shrimp from the bottom of rivers lakes, and estuaries.

Cod

Cod are carnivorous fish that dwell in the North Atlantic and Pacific. They scrape shrimp off the seafloor or hunt them in open waters. Pacific cod in Alaska often eat northern pink shrimp.

Croaker

Croakers are bottom-dwelling predators that suck up shrimp hiding in the sand or mud. The Atlantic croaker is a shrimp-loving species found along the East Coast.

Flounder

These ambush-hunting flatfish rely on shrimp as a key food source. Southern flounder is one flounder species that inhabits estuaries and eats brown shrimp.

Herring

Small herring such as American herring feed on tiny larval and juvenile shrimp. They form large schools in open waters and eat masses of plankton and small crustaceans.

Perch

Perch like walleye perch scrape the bottom of lakes for shrimp and other small invertebrates. Freshwater perch species help control shrimp populations in their habitat.

Salmon

Salmon eat shrimp and other prey during parts of their complex life cycle. Some species like pink salmon and chum salmon feed on shrimp in their juvenile stage.

Trout

Many trout species are opportunistic feeders that consume shrimp. Brook trout and rainbow trout often snack on freshwater shrimp in addition to aquatic insects and small fish.

Crustaceans

Not surprisingly, other crustaceans like shrimp love to eat their crunchy relatives. Some shrimp predators include:

Crabs

Crabs are adept at crushing the shells of shrimp and extracting the meat inside. Blue crabs, rock crabs, and spider crabs all feast on juvenile and adult shrimp.

Lobsters

Lobsters use their strong mandibles and claws to rip shrimp apart. Spiny lobsters and American lobsters both include shrimp in their varied diets.

Shrimp

Yes, some shrimp are cannibalistic or eat other smaller shrimp species. Mantis shrimp are voracious predators that attack and eat average-sized shrimp.

Crayfish

These small lobster-like crustaceans consume aquatic plants, worms, insects, snails and shrimp that are small enough to capture. Their size makes them a shrimp predator and prey.

Mollusks

Several mollusk species ingest shrimp including:

Octopus

Octopuses are stealthy hunters that snatch up unsuspecting shrimp from the ocean floor. The common octopus is one shrimp-loving octopus species.

Squid

Squids are fast-swimming carnivores that actively pursue shrimp in open water rather than waiting in ambush. Caribbean reef squid and bigfin reef squid eat shrimp.

Clams

Clams are filter feeders that siphon in tiny plankton and particles, including newly hatched larval shrimp. Soft shell clams routinely filter shrimp larvae from the water.

Echinoderms

Spiny echinoderms with tube feet and suction-cupped tentacles can capture shrimp, such as:

Sea Stars

Sea stars like the Northern Pacific seastar prey on small shrimp by clasping them with their tube feet and passing them to their mouth.

Sea Urchins

Sea urchins use their tube feet and spines to trap passing shrimp. The black sea urchin is one species that eats shrimp eggs and larvae.

Sand Dollars

Sand dollars position themselves to intercept tiny planktonic creatures, including baby brine shrimp. Their multifunctional tube feet help collect and pass food to their mouth.

Worms

Though small, aquatic worms eat shrimp too:

Ribbon Worms

Ribbon worms are primitive carnivores with a proboscis for capturing prey. They use this to grab shrimp and reel them into their mouth.

Peanut Worms

Peanut worms are a type of sipunculid that lives in burrows on the seafloor. When shrimp pass by, they emerge to eat them.

Jellyfish and Comb Jellies

With stinging tentacles, jellies can subdue shrimp:

Jellyfish

Small jellyfish like moon jellies directly ingest brine shrimp and other zooplankton as they pulse through the water. Their oral arms transport food to their mouth.

Comb Jellies

Comb jellies are transparent carnivores that swim with rows of iridescent cilia. Sea walnut comb jellies and other species eat shrimp larvae and eggs.

Reptiles and Amphibians

A few cold-blooded shrimp lovers include:

Sea Turtles

Sea turtles like green sea turtles opportunistically feed on shrimp, especially in their juveniles stages. Shrimp make up part of their omnivorous ocean diet.

Crocodiles

Crocodiles eat shrimp that dwell in the fresh and brackish waters they inhabit. Dwarf crocodiles in coastal mangroves are known to consume shrimp.

Giant Salamanders

These large amphibians live in rocky freshwater streams and eat passing shrimp. The Japanese giant salamander occasionally feeds on mountain stream shrimp.

Birds

Many shorebirds and seabirds eat shrimp:

Herons

Herons like great blue herons stalk shallow waters searching for small fish, frogs, and shrimp to spear. Shrimp make up part of their carnivorous diet.

Pelicans

Brown pelicans plunge-dive for their food, which includes northern shrimp found near the water’s surface. Peruvian pelicans eat the Peruvian shrimp.

Sandpipers

These small wading shorebirds forage by probing their long bills into mud to capture buried shrimp. Spotted sandpipers eat freshwater shrimp like Gammarus.

Seagulls

Seagulls are opportunistic omnivores that will readily eat small shrimp. Great black-backed gulls often drop shells to break them open and access the shrimp inside.

Terns

Terns like Forster’s terns mostly eat small fish, but also capture some shrimp and other invertebrates. Shrimp are part of their diet in coastal habitats.

Penguins

Penguins near the Antarctic like the Adelie penguin consume krill and Antarctic shrimp. Gentoo and chinstrap penguins also eat shrimp.

Mammals

A number of marine and terrestrial mammals incorporate shrimp into their diverse diets:

Bears

Bears like grizzly bears and black bears flip over rocks in estuaries to find and eat hidden shrimp underneath. They make shrimp part of their omnivorous diet.

Dolphins

Dolphins swim in coordinated groups to concentrate prey and feed on shrimp schools. Bottlenose dolphins off Australia eat penaeid shrimp.

Manatees

Manatees are gentle herbivores that sometimes grazing on shrimp inhabiting sea grass beds. West Indian manatees are known to occasionally eat shrimp.

Otters

Sea otters dive for shellfish and also eat shrimp in kelp beds offshore. Small-clawed otters fish for freshwater shrimp in streams and rivers.

Raccoons

Sneaky raccoons search the intertidal zone and wetlands for crabs, crayfish, and even shrimp. They use their front paws to feel for shelled critters.

Walrus

Walruses disturb the seafloor sediment to uncover buried clams, worms, and shrimp. Pacific walruses suck up lots of shrimp while foraging for bottom-dwelling prey.

Humans

And of course, humans eat shrimp through commercial fishing and shrimp farming. People harvest over 3 million tons of shrimp per year for food. Shrimp are eaten on their own and also used in various dishes like seafood platters, shrimp cocktails, and shrimp scampi.

Shrimp play a vital role in the aquatic food web as prey for many larger animals. Predators like fish, birds, reptiles, and marine mammals all depend on shrimp directly or indirectly for their survival. So although small, shrimp occupy an important niche that connects ecosystems and helps sustain food chains.