Giant fairy shrimp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Giant fairy shrimp |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Branchinecta
|
| Species: |
gigas
|
Branchinecta gigas is a fascinating type of fairy shrimp that lives in parts of western Canada and the United States. It's known as the giant fairy shrimp because it's the biggest species of fairy shrimp, growing up to 86 mm (3.4 in) long!
Contents
What Does the Giant Fairy Shrimp Look Like?
Female giant fairy shrimp can grow up to 86 mm (3.4 in) long. They become ready to have babies when they are about 45–50 millimetres (1.8–2.0 in) long. Male fairy shrimp are a bit smaller, reaching about 66 mm (2.6 in). There are even old records of some growing as long as 180 mm (7.1 in)!
Even though it's the largest fairy shrimp, B. gigas has the smallest eyes for its body size. Its eyes are tiny compared to other fairy shrimp.
Where Does the Giant Fairy Shrimp Live?
You can find Branchinecta gigas in several places across North America. These include the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In the United States, they live in states like Washington, Montana, Oregon, North Dakota, Utah, Nevada, and California.
A close relative, another type of fairy shrimp called B. raptor, lives nearby in Idaho.
How Does the Giant Fairy Shrimp Live?
B. gigas lives in very salty lakes and rivers. The saltiness of these waters can range from 1.8 to 5.8 parts per thousand. These waters are often cloudy, meaning it's hard to see through them. Because of this, B. gigas hunts for food mostly by touch, not by sight.
When it's time to eat, B. gigas gets into a special "hunting posture." It bends its body in half and swims upside down. Its sensitive antennae and tail parts point forward. Its legs are held wide open, ready to grab any prey that comes close. This quick grab happens just by touch. This makes sense because the waters where B. gigas and its food live are so cloudy.
The giant fairy shrimp mainly eats other types of fairy shrimp. It especially likes B. mackini. It also eats tiny water creatures like copepods and cladocerans. Sometimes, it even eats green algae.
How Was the Giant Fairy Shrimp Discovered?
In 1935, a person named J. F. Clark found two large fairy shrimp near Coulee City, Washington. He sent these specimens to James E. Lynch. Mr. Lynch was a scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
In 1936, Lynch visited the areas where the shrimp were found. He explored between Coulee City and the Grand Coulee Dam. There, he found even more of these unique creatures. In 1937, James E. Lynch officially named and described the species as Branchinecta gigas.
