Shrimp (Books)

Shrimp, also called Prawns are aquatic invertebrates mentioned occasionally in the How to Train Your Dragon Book series.

Description
Shrimp is a broad non-taxonomic term applied to any crustacean with a long body, long antennae, swimming movement, and often slim claws. Shrimp often look somewhat like smaller, delicate Lobster, but lobster tend to walk for locomotion rather than swimming. The term 'shrimp' is sometimes used for smaller species that fit into that description, while 'prawn' refers to larger species. Also, 'shrimp' is more generally used in the United States, while 'prawn' is more often used in Europe.

Species called shrimp are most often seen in Infraorder Caridea and Suborder Dendrobranchiata, but other species may belong to a variety of other taxons such as Infraorder Stenopodidea or Boxer shrimp, Genus Artemia or Brine shrimp, or Order Stomatopoda - the mantis shrimp.

Shrimp species occurring in Scandinavian regions include: the Common shrimp (Crangon crangon) and the Northern prawn (Pandalus borealis).

Function
The term 'prawn' is used in the Book series to negatively describe someone small in stature.

In real life prawns or shrimp are the most commercially fished crustacean around the world for consumption.

How to Train Your Dragon
'Prawn' is mentioned when describing Hiccup being stabbed by the Green Death's tooth, after the dragon dies.

"If it [Stoick's shield] had not been there, the Tooth would have impaled Hiccup like a prawn on a stick."

- Book 1