Creature Feature Encyclopedia: Crustaceans

Fairy Shrimp Branchinecta paludosa Size: usually no longer than 1" (2.5 cm) Habitat: vernal pools

Small Survivors

There are about 25 species of Fairy Shrimp. All depend upon vernal pools for survival. They spend their entire lives there to escape from being eaten by fish. Fairy Shrimp lay eggs that are able to withstand drying. The eggs hatch at the next flooding. Some eggs have hatched after waiting 20 years for the right conditions to return.

~Salamander Rain: A Lake and Pond Journal © 2001