Ohio shrimp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Macrobrachium ohione |
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Palaemonidae
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Macrobrachium
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M. ohione
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| Macrobrachium ohione (S. I. Smith, 1874)
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The Macrobrachium ohione, often called the Ohio shrimp or Ohio river prawn, is a type of freshwater shrimp. You can find it in rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean in North America. It is the most well-known freshwater shrimp in North America. People often use it as bait for fishing, especially for catching catfish.
What Does the Ohio Shrimp Look Like?
The Ohio shrimp is usually pale gray. It has small blue spots on its body. This shrimp can grow up to 10 cm (4 in) long. Its first two pairs of legs have claws. The second pair of legs is bigger than the first. The shrimp's rostrum, which is like a snout, is curved. It has up to 13 teeth-like bumps on it.
Where Do Ohio Shrimp Live?
You can find the Ohio shrimp along the Atlantic coast of North America. Its range goes from North Carolina down to Florida. Further west, it lives from southern Missouri to Louisiana. Even though it's called the Ohio shrimp, it's not very common in the Ohio River anymore.
It used to be common in the Ohio River until the 1930s. The first shrimp of this type ever studied was found in Cannelton, Indiana. Its range in the Mississippi River once reached as far north as St. Louis, Missouri. Scientists believe that Dams and other human activities caused their numbers to drop.
In May 2001, two Ohio shrimp were found in the Ohio River near Joppa, Illinois. This was the first time in 50 years! This discovery suggests that the shrimp might be returning. It could also mean that earlier ways of looking for them were not very good.
Ohio Shrimp Life Cycle
Like other Macrobrachium species, the Ohio shrimp is amphidromous. This means its life cycle needs both fresh and saltwater. The baby shrimp, called larvae, must live in saltwater. As they grow into adults, they move to fresh water.
To do this, the larvae float freely down the river. They keep drifting until they reach water that is salty enough for them. Female shrimp carrying eggs might also travel downstream. They do this before releasing their larvae. This helps the babies reach salty water faster.
A study in 2008 found that Ohio shrimp larvae can survive for up to five days in fresh water. After this time, their chances of growing and living in saltwater drop a lot. Researchers believe that dams and other barriers built by humans block the larvae's journey. This is likely why Ohio River shrimp are almost gone from the Ohio River.
 | William L. Dawson |
 | W. E. B. Du Bois |
 | Harry Belafonte |
