Streptocephalus woottoni facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Streptocephalus woottoni |
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Streptocephalus
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woottoni
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The Streptocephalus woottoni, also known as the Riverside fairy shrimp, is a very rare type of crustacean. It belongs to the Streptocephalidae family. This tiny creature lives only in Southern California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico.
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What is the Riverside Fairy Shrimp?
The Riverside fairy shrimp is a small animal. It grows to be about 10 to 20 millimeters long. That's about the size of a small paperclip! These shrimp live in special puddles called vernal pools. These pools are only around for part of the year. They need to be at least 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) deep. You can usually see these shrimp from January to March.
How Does the Riverside Fairy Shrimp Live?
This fairy shrimp eats very tiny living things. These include bacteria and other microscopic organisms. Its life cycle is quite interesting. The shrimp lays eggs that are like tough little cases called cysts. These cysts can dry out and stay in the soil for a long time. They wait through the dry seasons. When it rains and the pools fill up again, the shrimp hatch from their cysts. They grow quickly and complete their whole life cycle in about 7 or 8 weeks.
Where Did the Name Come From?
The scientific name, Streptocephalus woottoni, was given in 1990. It honors Dr. Donald M. Wootton. He was a scientist who studied these types of crustaceans.
Why is the Riverside Fairy Shrimp Endangered?
The Riverside fairy shrimp is very rare. It can only be found in a few places. There are five known locations in southern California. These are in Riverside County and San Diego County. There are also two spots in northern Baja California.
Sadly, some places where these shrimp used to live no longer have them. This is called extirpation. For example, they are gone from Murrieta, California. The biggest threats to the shrimp are changes to their habitat. Their homes are being lost, damaged, or broken up into smaller pieces.
Because it is so rare and its habitat is disappearing, the Riverside fairy shrimp is listed as an endangered species in the United States. In 2012, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service set aside over 1,700 acres of land. This land is considered important "critical habitat" to help protect these special shrimp.
See also
- California montane chaparral and woodlands
- Animals of the California chaparral and woodlands
