Brief Summary
Read full entry
Krill or Euphausiid shrimp superficially resemble decapod shrimp, but they lack maxillipeds, and carry their thoracic gills outside the carapace, giving them a feathery appearance (Tudge, 2000). Most krill feed on phytoplankton and many are filter feeders. A few species are known to hunt copepods and other zooplankton (Saether, 1986)
They form an important link in the marine food chain. They occur in huge numbers throughout the global oceans and link the algae and zooplankton they feed on to the many larger predators including baleen whales (Tudge, 2000).
Trusted
