Scuds - It depends on what you mean by basically the same. They all have a commonality of body features that put them in the taxonomic family of Gammaridae in the Class of Amphipoda. There are around 150 species in American freshwaters and worldwide about 900 species! They occur in a wide variety of primarily unpolluted waters: ponds lakes, streams, brooks, springs and subterranean waters. The numerous species undoubtedly have a wide tolerance to water temperature with most common ones preferring cool, well oxygenated water. Many call them freshwater shrimp although they are distantly related to shrimp, thus not truly shrimp. They are rather slow moving, easy prey and thus they need quite a bit of dense habitat such as weeds for long term survival when fish are present as intense predators.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/12/18 08:57 PM.

aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management