Shrimp and prawns are related but belong to different biological suborders; shrimp are from Pleocyemata, while prawns belong to Dendrobranchiata. Shrimp have shorter legs and a single pair of claws, curved bodies with overlapping segments, and plate-like gills, whereas prawns have longer legs with multiple pairs of claws, straighter bodies, and branching gills. The terms are often used interchangeably in cooking, but scientifically they differ in anatomy and classification.