What are krill?
Q: What are krill?
A: Krill are small shrimp-like crustaceans about an inch or so long, found in all the oceans of the world.
Q: What do krill feed on?
A: Krill feed on phytoplankton and to a lesser extent zooplankton.
Q: Why are krill ecologically important?
A: Krill are ecologically very important because they make up the largest part of the diet of many animals.
Q: How much biomass does Antarctic krill have?
A: The Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, has an estimated biomass of over 500,000,000 tonnes (490,000,000 long tons; 550,000,000 short tons).
Q: Who eats krill?
A: Krill is eaten by many animals including whales, seals, penguins, birds, fish squid and whale sharks.
Q: How much of the biomass is eaten each year?
A: Over half of the biomass is eaten each year and replaced by growth and reproduction.
Q: How can you tell a krill apart from other crustaceans such as true shrimp? A: You can tell a krill apart from other crustaceans such as true shrimp by their externally visible gills.
