Tadpole Shrimp

Shelter for Animal | Tadpole Shrimp | These animals are also known as shield shrimp in reference to their shield like shells. They are also sold as pets under the label Triops. This label comes from the genus name for these creatures but there are technically two general in the tadpole shrimp order.

Tadpole shrimp

Tadpole shrimp are often referred to as living fossils due to their archaic looking appearance though finding one in the wild may not be an easy feat. Although tadpole shrimp live on every continent apart from Antarctica. The habitats in which they live may be fleeting. Tadpole shrimp are most commonly found in temporary water systems even a puddle that lasts only a few weeks may house these fascinating creatures.

This is because tadpole shrimp eggs are made to last which we’ll be explaining in just a bit tadpole shrimp aren’t actually shrimps though they are crustaceans. They’re also not tadpoles but they’re given this common name because they have a tadpole like appearance, while moving through the water.

Tadpole shrimp are most commonly found in freshwater environments and they can also live in brackish water while ephemeral pools are their main environment. They may also be found in lakes and bogs. These are benthic creatures meaning they spend most of their lives on the beneath of the water column here they’ll dine on detritus and small organisms in large numbers.

How big is a tadpole shrimp?

Some tadpole shrimp species are considered pests in rice fields where their swimming can stir up sediment and knock over young rice seedlings. So, generally speaking these animals are harmless in size tadpole shrimp are able to reach four inches in length but on average, they measure less than half this the current number of tadpole shrimp species is debated.

Some sources state around a dozen living species while others suggest more than three times this number tadpole shrimp are Christic meaning different species may appear very similar to one another their differences only perceptible through DNA sequencing. This coupled with their sporadic appearances means for now the exact number of tadpole shrimp species is unknown.

How long do tadpole shrimp live?

Tadpole shrimp are sporadic and their appearance as adults because their eggs survive for years sometimes decades outside of the water. In this desiccated state the eggs will endure harsh conditions like extreme temperatures or even being eaten it isn’t until heavy rains come and fill temporary pools that the eggs hatch.

Tadpole shrimp eggs

Tadpole shrimp eggs hatch about one to three days after exposure to water they developed quickly into adults reaching reproductive maturity by two weeks of age. Tadpole shrimp may be hermaphroditic like snails or they may have individuals with separate sexes. Tadpole shrimp eggs are carried for a short time on special Lake patches of the adults.

The eggs are then deposited in places such as moss hundreds of eggs will be laid. Some of the eggs will hatch immediately others will hatch when the first rains come. Others may require multiple hydrations before hatching as adults. Tadpole shrimp may only survive a few weeks long enough to reproduce before their temporary homes once again dry up. (Reference)

Tadpole Shrimps

The cool thing about potholes is that that they are ephemeral, they are temporary, but they’re teeming with life. holes are basins in the Rock just looks like some dirt and a hole in the rock. They’re dry most of the time, but when it rains, then they fill up with water and So you have an aquatic ecosystem that is active for several weeks depending on how much water and how big The basins are So there are a lot of species in the potholes, but the tadpole shrimp are don’t know in some ways. They’re probably my favorite.

They’re the largest shrimp in the pool. and they’re kind of vacuum cleaners. along the sediment, stirring up and getting organic material, algae, and material that’s fallen in and blown into the pool They’re filter feeding, but they’re stirring up the sediment, and then they process those particles with their legs and move them up to their mouths and Nope, that’s not food they throw. it out triops is Greek for three eyes. Shrimp literally have three eyes with the third being a light-sensing organ They do come up into the water column.

Sometimes, and they’re the top predator. in some of the pools. foreign The shrimp are aquatic. And so how? Do they survive that dry period? Well, it turns out they lay eggs that are capable of staying alive when they lose almost all of the water in the egg and They can lose up to 92 percent, and then When you add water back in, they hatch. out and are ready to go, so Moab and in the summertime, you know we’re a desert.

The air temperatures can be up to 100 105 is sometimes close to 110, and the surface of the rock can heat up to probably 120, maybe even more than that. So it gets very hot, so the organisms that are dormant in the pothole have to be able to withstand those hot temperatures, they are living fossils, species that live out here are very similar to a species that has been found in fossils in the rock, so they’re not evolving; they’re not changing, but that’s their survival strategy, and it has worked for a long, long time.

You know some people. Think well, or what’s a tadpole shrimp? In large part, we don’t really know. but everything’s connected to the ecosystem. is a web, and if you pull on one string then you’re going to affect the other parts If you do not have all the parts, and the ecosystem doesn’t function, We are reliant on the processes that go on in those ecosystems, even if we don’t really realize it. So if you see a depression in the rock, Whether it’s wet or dry, there are living organisms there, so it’s best to walk. around it; don’t walk through it. (Reference)