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Some aquarium hobbyists will pay $10,000 or more for a single shrimp because of the rarity of their colors or patterns.

LEARN MORE

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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: Chromatophores: pigment-containing cells in the deeper layers of the skin of animals like shrimp Restricted availability theory: a commodity is available or perceived to be available only for certain individuals Reactance theory: unavailability of a commodity is perceived as a threat to an individual’s freedom to posses that commodity, making it more desirable. Scarcity heuristic: a mental shortcut that places value on items based on how easy it is to miss out on them.

If you liked this week’s video, you might also like: Check out this Taiwanese news broadcast about fancy shrimp breeding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxjUEhryDEA

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• Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth
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CREDITS

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This video was produced by: Julián Gustavo Gómez (@thejuliangomez) | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Sarah Berman (@sarahjberman) | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Nathaniel Schroeder | Music

Feedback on drafts by: David Goldenberg, Alex Reich, Henry Reich, Peter Reich, Ever Salazar and Kate Yoshida

MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info

Henry Reich | Executive Producer David Goldenberg | Production Manager Melissa Hayes | Business & Legal Counsel Kate Yoshida | Chief Editor Ever Salazar | Creative Director Julián Gustavo Gómez | Community Manager

OTHER CREDITS

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White Painted (Kai Bai) Shrimp photo by Demin Wong Blue Bolt Shrimp photo by Jeffrey Kelley

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Website | https://minuteearth.com Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176

REFERENCES

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Bauer, R. T. "Color patterns of the shrimps Heptacarpus pictus and H. paludicola (Caridea: Hippolytidae)." Marine Biology 64.2 (1981): 141-152.

John, Maria, et al. "The preference for scarcity: A developmental and comparative perspective." Psychology & Marketing 35.8 (2018): 603-615.

Lukhaup, Chris. “Freshwater Shrimps: The next Generation.” Practical Fishkeeping, 14 May 2019, www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/freshwater-shrimps-the-next-generation/.

Lynn, Michael. "The psychology of unavailability: Explaining scarcity and cost effects on value." Basic and Applied Social Psychology 13.1 (1992): 3-7.

Verhallen, Theo MM, and Henry SJ Robben. "Unavailability and the evaluation of goods." KYKLOS-BERNE- 48 (1995): 369-369.