What Is a Group of Shrimp Called? (Hint: You'd Use the Term for Bugs)

These shrimp do indeed look like they're swarming around a food source. Serhii Shcherbyna / Shutterstock

"What is a group of shrimp called" is a common Google search, especially when people start comparing shrimp to fish, crabs, or even cats.

The short answer: There is no single official collective noun in biology, but a group of shrimp is often called a swarm or occasionally a school. As is the case with many animals in the ocean, the exact word can vary.

Shrimp species range from tiny freshwater shrimp that inhabit streams to larger species that spend their lives in the open sea. With so many shrimp species in the world, language has struggled to keep up.

The Quick Answer: Swarm, School, or Colony

If you need a fast answer at a dinner party, call it a swarm of shrimp. That term fits their movement and feeding behavior, especially when many members swim together through plankton-rich water. Some writers also suggest a school of shrimp, borrowing the word used for fish.

Others have referred to a colony, though that word more accurately describes a group of organisms of one species that live and interact closely with each other. Shrimp are crustaceans, closely related to crabs and lobsters, and most species are not as socially structured as a true colony.

Why Shrimp Do Not Always Form Tight Groups

Unlike some social insects with a queen, shrimp can be solitary animals outside of breeding or feeding events. In some shrimp species, females carry eggs under their bodies until they hatch into larvae, and the larvae drift in the water as plankton.

Most species gather when food is abundant or during migration. At night, for instance, some shrimp species rise toward the surface as the sun sets, forming loose swarms that help reduce the chance any one individual becomes a catch for predators such as fish or turtles.

That behavior explains why "swarm" feels accurate. It describes temporary movement rather than a permanent social structure.

Shrimp, Prawns and Other Seafood Terms

The word "shrimp" itself can cause confusion. In some other language traditions, the same animals are commonly called prawns, and the difference between shrimp and prawns often comes down to subtle anatomy such as the structure of their claws and gills.

"Jumbo shrimp" adds another twist. It sounds like an example of opposites squeezed into one phrase, yet it simply refers to larger shrimp used as food. In the seafood industry and global aquaculture, shrimp and prawns rank among the most traded forms of seafood in the world, according to the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Fisheries track the number of shrimp caught each year because these crustaceans play a vital role in ocean habitats. They can feed on plankton and in turn support fish, turtles, and seafood species that humans enjoy on a platter.

How Language Shapes Our View of Animals

Humans like tidy labels. We assign a troupe to performers, a brood to chicks, and a school to fish. When it comes to shrimp, the answer reflects how loosely they organize.

In biology, terms emerge from usage rather than strict rules. Few countries regulate which word people must use, and political or cultural forces can shape the meaning of a simple collective noun. Instead, writers and speakers collectively decide what sounds right.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.