Shrimp

Shrimp are available in only a handful of worlds with particularly rich environments. They become available for purchase after researching Seabed Geology provided you have at least 5 sponge. Their description is "Convince shrimp to assist you in the gathering of algae, which helps boost sponge production."

Career Path
Shrimp have the option of becoming Worker Shrimp after researching Eusociality. This is one of the last available methods for collecting sponge, but is significantly faster than dolphins or harvester lobsters.

Laboratory Research
There are 2 upgrades that can be researched that are specific to only shrimp, 3 generic upgrades that affect shrimp income and 2 upgrades specific to crustaceans in general. The research listed below is available in every world and has an effect on shrimp and their jobs: {| class="article-table" ! scope="col" |Upgrade ! scope="col" |Description ! scope="col" |Result ! scope="col" |Cost

Seabed Geology
Study the bottom of the ocean to determine the rich, deep, juicy secrets it contains. Rays are twice as effective with their understanding of the seabed and its varieties of sediment. Unlocks 250 Science
 * Aquire shrimp
 * Agriculture

250 Sand

Agriculture
The hunter-gatherer lifestyle will only work so well for us. Maybe we should gather these animals in one place and let them grow. Various roles are twice as effective thanks to farming regions for coral and sponge. Worker shrimp power x2

Unlocks Sun Observation 500 Science

1K Sand

Sun Observation
We must determine what is with the weird glare on the surface of the water. Planter crabs are twice as effective, and shrimp are four times as effective. Is a suns worth many fish? We can see a sun, but where is it really? And by what is it made of? Shrimp power x4 5K Science The following research is available in every world in which shrimp can be found: {| class="article-table" ! scope="col" |Upgrade ! scope="col" |Description ! scope="col" |Result ! scope="col" |Cost
 * }

Crustacean Biology
These strange creatures related to crabs require further investigation. What is with exoskeletons? Shrimp and lobsters are twice as effective. Lobsters can now gather other things or cover themselves in shiny eggs, also called 'berries'. What's a berry? Shrimp power x2

Unlocks Eusociality 500 Science

100 Clam

Eusociality
The shrimp are weirder than we thought. They have some advanced social system beyond our comprehension. What is the deal? Shrimp are twice as effective. Shimp queens and dedicated shrimp workers are available, and we'll never sleep soundly again. Shrimp power x2

Unlocks 1K Science
 * Crown shrimp queen
 * Assign shrimp worker

500 Sponge

Worm Warriors
Shrimp sponge hives are under constant threat from outside invaders that aren't us. A collaboration effort might help them out. Shrimp, shrimp queens and shrimp workers are twice as effective now that they don't need to worry about worms eating them. Shrimp power x2

Shrimp queen power x2

Worker shrimp power x2 3K Science

300 Shrimp

Utility Carapace
The exoskeleton is good enough, but with some adjustments, perhaps coralglass can improve it. Crabs, shrimp and lobsters, and their roles, are all four times as effective. A shell protects, and a shell interfaces. Shrimp power x4

Worker shrimp power x4

Shrimp queen power x4 10B Science
 * }

Story
Warning: This section includes speculation, as canon answers don't yet exist. The shrimps are tiny, but hard-working. They live for their sponge hives.

The shrimp lead busy, highly organized lives. Eusociality means that every shrimp has a job to do. Unfortunately a lot of that work revolves around avoiding getting eaten by worms. In comparison the sharks and their other giant allies don’t pose much of a threat. Shrimp are too small for most of the bigger fish to eat and too big for the filter-feeder whales. Teaming up is fairly safe and comes along with plenty of benefits for the hive.

While they don’t always make use of it, each hive is able to form a hive mind to increase efficiency. Likely this involves giving over all semblance of free will to the queen and working past the point of exhaustion. Sadly this doesn't seem like too big a difference from how they normally operate.

Trivia
There is a great deal of debate over what constitutes a shrimp, taxonomically. The infraorder listed above, Caridea, is the one group agreed upon to be definitively shrimp, and as a result is sometimes referred to as "true shrimp". Other, more controversial contenders include suborders Dendrobranchiata and Natantia, as well as infraorders Procarididea, Stenopodidea and Thalassinidea. Technically the suborder Natantia is considered outdated, but it still describes one of the widest accepted groups of shrimp species. A handful of other shrimp species can be found in other nearby branches of the taxonomical tree, making this an even more difficult group to define scientifically.