Prawn
Invertebrate
A near-see-through prawn of UK rockpools, named for the saw-toothed 'beak' between its eyes.
💡 Fun Facts
- The common prawn is almost see-through, with faint reddish-brown stripes, so it is very hard to spot among the seaweed.
- Between its eyes it carries a toothed "beak" called a rostrum — the "saw" that gives it its name.
- When something startles it, a prawn flicks its tail and shoots backwards in a flash to escape.
Name Story
Palaemon serratus
means “the saw-toothed prawn of the sea-god”
What does its name mean?
- Palaemon — a Greek sea-god who protected sailorsGreek myth — Palaimon, the deified Melicertes
- serratus — saw-edged, serratedLatin serra, 'a saw'
The name honours Palaemon, a Greek sea-god said to guard sailors, while serratus means 'saw-toothed' — describing the little blade-like spike, called the rostrum, that pokes forward between the prawn's eyes.