Tadpole shrimp
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A tadpole shrimp is a type of simple freshwater crustacean. It has the word "shrimp" in its name, but is not a true shrimp.
Tadpole shrimps are also called Triops, dinosaur shrimps or shield shrimps. They're not really dinosaurs, but they have been on earth for about 300 million years. When these crustaceans first appeared on earth, there were no birds, no dinosaurs, and definitely no humans or other mammals.They are the oldest surviving group of animals.
They live in temporary pools of water on every continent except Antarctica. They grow very quickly, and can reach adulthood in a week. Triops only live for a short time; a record-breaking female only lived to be 100 days. When their pools dry up,adult tadpole shrimp die. Their eggs, however, stop developing for a period of time. When they are in water again, they come to life, and new Triops are hatched. This is because of a state known as diapause, where eggs can lie dormant for up to twenty years before hatching again. Triops are popular pets, with many sites online dedicated to them, the most prominent site being Mytriops.com. The word "Triops" can be broken down into two shorter ones, "Tri" meaning three and "Ops" similar to optics, eyes. This is due to the fact triops have an extra central eye. They also have up to 70 legs.
