The killer shrimp is also known as dikerogammarus villosus. It can grow up to 30 mm long and have traditionally inhabited the steppe region between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. The killer shrimp is considered invasive because it can damage or disrupt the ecology of its habitat by feasting on insects like damselflies and water boatmen, leading to a decline in the fish that normally rely on those food sources.

Scientists have reported killer shrimp have been encroaching upon Western Europe for the past ten years via the Danube.

Recently, reports surfaced that the killer shrimp had been spotted in Britain at the Graftham Water reservoir in Cambridgeshire.