kɩkɩʔaqɛɬ | Prawns
ayʔaǰuθɛm:
kɩkɩʔaqɛɬ
Where do beavers live, and what is their habitat like?
Prawns live along the coastal waters and inlets of the Pacific Northwest, including sheltered bays, fjords, and deep rocky channels. They thrive in cold, clean saltwater environments and are often found at depths ranging from 40 to over 100 metres, where they can hide among rocks, ledges, and underwater vegetation.
Their preferred habitat includes areas with soft mud or gravel bottoms, where they can burrow and stay protected from predators. These habitats also provide a rich source of food, like plankton and organic debris, supporting their growth and reproduction.
What do prawns eat, and how do they find food?
Prawns are opportunistic scavengers and hunters, feeding on a variety of small organisms and organic matter. Their diet includes plankton, algae, small crustaceans, worms, and bits of decaying plant and animal material that settle on the ocean floor. They play an important role in the marine food web by helping to break down and recycle nutrients.
Prawns use their sensitive antennae and legs to detect food in the dark depths where they live. They often forage at night, moving slowly along the seabed while using their claws to grab and manipulate food. Their excellent sense of smell helps them locate even tiny food particles in the water or sediment.
What are some surprising or little-known facts about prawns?
They can change sex!
Many species of prawns, including the spot prawn (Pandalus platyceros), start life as males and later transition to females. This natural process is called sequential hermaphroditism and helps balance populations for reproduction.
They’re vital to ocean ecosystems!
Prawns play a key role in the food chain. Not only do they help clean the ocean floor by eating decaying matter, but they’re also an important food source for fish, octopus, seals, and other marine animals.
They thrive in cold waters!
Unlike tropical shrimp, Pacific prawns such as the spot prawn prefer cold, nutrient-rich waters. This makes the coastal waters of British Columbia an ideal habitat.
