Coral banded shrimp Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Stenopus hispidus

S. hispidus from Batu Moncho, Indonesia
Scientific classification

Stenopus hispidus is a cool shrimp-like creature. It's a type of crustacean, which means it's related to crabs and lobsters. People often call it the banded coral shrimp or banded cleaner shrimp because of its stripes and helpful habits.

Where It Lives
What It Looks Like
How It Lives
Images for kids
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Where It Lives

This amazing shrimp lives in warm, tropical waters all over the world. You can find it in the western Atlantic Ocean, from Canada all the way down to Brazil. It also lives in places like the Gulf of Mexico. In Australia, it swims as far south as Sydney, and you can even spot it around New Zealand.

What It Looks Like

The banded coral shrimp can grow up to about 60 millimetres (2.4 in) long. That's about the size of your pinky finger! It has really cool colors. Its body is mostly clear, but it has bright red and white stripes. These stripes are on its main body shell (called the carapace), its tail (the abdomen), and its two big front legs.

Its long, white antennae and other legs are also white. If you look closely, you'll see tiny spines covering its body and those big front legs. These shrimp can even tell other shrimp of their own kind apart, probably by using special chemical signals. This is pretty rare for small sea animals!

How It Lives

The banded coral shrimp lives deep below the ocean's surface, sometimes as deep as 210 metres (690 ft). You'll usually find them on coral reefs, which are like underwater cities for sea creatures.

This shrimp is known as a "cleaner shrimp." It helps other fish by cleaning them! It waves its long, white antennae to let fish know it's open for business. Then, it uses its three pairs of claws to carefully remove unwanted things from the fish. This includes tiny parasites, fungi, and even damaged skin.

Stenopus hispidus shrimp are usually monogamous, which means a male and female pair will stay together. The female shrimp are often a bit bigger than the males. They typically claim a small area of the reef, about 1 to 2 meters wide, as their home.