Wildlife

‘Dinosaur Shrimp’ emerge after Arizona monsoon

Triops — which is Greek for “three eyes” — are sometimes called “dinosaur shrimp” because of their long evolutionary history; the ancestors of these crustaceans evolved during the Devonian period (419 million to 359 million years ago), and their appearance has changed very little since then.

Following a torrential summer downpour in northern Arizona, hundreds of these bizarre, prehistoric-looking critters emerged from tiny eggs and began swimming around a temporary lake on the desert landscape. Their eggs can lay dormant for decades in the desert until enough rainfall falls to create lakes that provide real estate and time for the hatchlings to mature and lay eggs for the next generation. Triops can live up to 90 days.

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