Conservancy fairy shrimp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Branchinecta conservatio |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Phylum: | |
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| Order: |
Anostraca
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| Family: |
Branchinectidae
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| Genus: |
Branchinecta
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| Species: |
B. conservatio
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| Binomial name | |
| Branchinecta conservatio Eng, Belk & Eriksen, 1990
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The conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio) is a tiny crustacean. It belongs to the same group as crabs and lobsters. These amazing creatures are usually about 1.25 centimetres (0.49 in) to 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) long. That's about the size of a paperclip!
Fairy shrimp are special because they live in water. They have delicate, long bodies and big eyes on stalks. They don't have a hard shell like many other crustaceans. Instead, they have eleven pairs of swimming legs. They swim gracefully upside down, moving their legs in a smooth, wave-like way. Conservancy fairy shrimp eat tiny things like algae, bacteria, and other small organisms. This particular type of fairy shrimp lives only in California, United States. It was first found in 1986.
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What is a Conservancy Fairy Shrimp?
The conservancy fairy shrimp is a fascinating small animal. It's known for its unique way of life. These shrimp are an important part of their watery homes. They help keep the ecosystem healthy by eating tiny plants and creatures.
How Do Fairy Shrimp Live?
Conservancy fairy shrimp live in special ponds called vernal pools. These pools fill up with water when it rains. Then, they slowly dry out as the weather gets warmer. The shrimp are usually gone before the pool completely dries up. You can find them in these pools from early November to early April.
How Do They Have Babies?
Female fairy shrimp carry their eggs in a special pouch on their belly. They either drop the eggs to the bottom of the pool or keep them until they die. When the pool dries up, the eggs dry out too. These dry eggs are called cysts. They can stay in the dry soil for a long time.
Cysts are super tough! They can handle very hot or cold weather. They can also survive being dry for a long time. When the pools fill with water again, some of the cysts hatch. Not all of them hatch at once, which is a clever way to make sure some survive. The soil can hold cysts from many years of breeding.
Once a pool fills, hatching can start within a week. It takes about 49 days for a fairy shrimp to grow up. In warmer pools, they can grow up even faster, in about 19 days!
Where Do Conservancy Fairy Shrimp Live?
We don't know exactly where conservancy fairy shrimp lived a long time ago. However, the areas where they live now used to have many more vernal pools. It's likely they once lived all over the Central Valley and southern coastal parts of California. They might even still be in some pools we haven't explored yet.
Today, these shrimp are found in several separate places. These include areas in San Diego County, Tehama County, Butte County, Solano County, Glenn County, and Merced County. They are also found in Ventura County.
Why Are They in Danger?
The special wetlands where these fairy shrimp live are now much smaller. Many of these areas have been turned into farms or cities. This means their homes are disappearing.
Many human activities threaten these tiny creatures. These include building new cities, creating water projects, and turning land into farms. It's estimated that a large part of their habitat has already been lost. Sadly, more vernal pool habitats are still disappearing each year.
Because of these dangers, the conservancy fairy shrimp is listed as a United States Federal Endangered Species. This means it is protected by law.
