[8] Its natural distribution is the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the eastern coast of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, as far as Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and northern Australia.

[9] It is an invasive species in the northern waters of the Gulf of Mexico[4] and the Atlantic Ocean off the Southern U.S.[10] The first occurrence of P. monodon in the U.S. was in November 1988.

[11] Escapes in other parts of the world, though, have led to established P. monodon populations, such as off West Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean.

[14] Juveniles of P. monodon are generally found in sandy estuaries and mangroves, and upon adulthood, they move to deeper waters (0– 110 m) and live on muddy or rocky bottoms.

[14] P. monodon is the second-most widely cultured prawn species in the world, after only whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

[20] The prawn is popular to culture because of its tolerance to salinity and very quick growth rate,[11] but they are very vulnerable to fungal, viral, and bacterial infections.

[25] While in a farm setting, the shrimp are typically fed a compound diet, which is produced in dried pellets.

The reasons given by Greenpeace were "destruction of vast areas of mangroves in several countries, overfishing of juvenile shrimp from the wild to supply farms, and significant human-rights abuses".