A small freshwater or marine crustacean belonging to the family Gammaridae, commonly known as a scud or amphipod.
From the genus Gammarus (named after the Greek letter gamma due to the creature's curved shape) plus the suffix -id indicating membership in a group.
Gammarids are crucial food sources for fish and are so sensitive to water pollution that scientists use them as biological indicators of water quality—if the gammarids disappear, the ecosystem is in trouble.
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