Brine Shrimp

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Brine Shrimp
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What are brine shrimp?

• Brine shrimp are small crustaceans. Sometimes
  they are called sea monkeys, but they dont
  live in the sea and they arent monkeys!

http//www.flickr.com/photos/bycp/5008459522/
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http//www.flickr.com/photos/63319497_at_N00/28446295
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Where do they live?

• They live in inland seas, salt flats and
  evaporating salt ponds they dont live in the
  ocean.
• They are found throughout the world, in places
  such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

Salt Pond in Northern California
Great Salt Lake, Utah
http//www.flickr.com/photos/alw2939/52290348/
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Why are they important?

• Brine shrimp are food for a number of animals,
  such as flamingos. Many people feed brine shrimp
  to fish in aquariums.

http//www.flickr.com/photos/exlibris/3241548153/
http//www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosz/2040577615/
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What is their life like?

• Brine shrimp grow from eggs to larvae to adults.
• When the water in their ponds evaporates, brine
  shrimp adults produce cyst-like eggs.
• The eggs can lie dormant in the dried-up pond for
  up to 13 years!
• Dried-out eggs will hatch when rain falls. Dried
  up salt dissolves in the water, creating
  saltwater and a place for the eggs to hatch.

http//www.fao.org/docrep/field/003/AC420E/AC420E0
3.htm
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http//www.flickr.com/photos/dougbeckers/522289662
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http//www.flickr.com/photos/tony717/3911604432/
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When the rains come back, the cysts will hatch.
http//www.flickr.com/photos/labormikro/2080887946
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http//www.aquaculture.ugent.be/x-files/larvi01/pr
ess.htm
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http//www.flickr.com/photos/bycp/5074726672/
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Sea Monkeys!
http//www.flickr.com/photos/ukkult/78126164/