Tiny Fairy Shrimp Have Amazing Survival Strategy

When you are only three centimeters long, sometimes you have to be clever if you want to survive. The diminutive fairy shrimp certainly proves this. These tiny creatures have come up with a smart way to ensure their survival, even in the face of drought. 

Fairy shrimp belong to the order Anostraca. They are related to other crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs. However, unlike their larger cousins, fairy shrimp do not require large bodies of water to survive. 

Instead of relying on a continuous source of water, fairy shrimp are opportunists. They can live in small forest pools or even puddles. There, they quickly grow to maturity. They then mate and lay their eggs before their water source dries. 

Fairy shrimp eggs can lie dormant for years if conditions are not right. They do not hatch until there is sufficient water. Yet to ensure the survival of the species, the fairy shrimp eggs won’t hatch all at once. Instead, some will lay dormant through two or three cycles of moisture. This ensures that the species will not be wiped out by unexpected drought. Luckily, fairy shrimp have no predators that can survive in their natural habitat.

These little crustaceans are onto something! The species has been estimated to be 140 million years old. 

However, fairy shrimp are now facing danger due to human activity. Many species are threatened. Several are even listed as endangered. This is largely due to habitat destruction and pollution of the small water sources that they call home. 

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