Fairy shrimp
AnostracaIdentification 1
Fairy shrimp live their whole life (two weeks) in a vernal pool.They grow up to be 6–25 millimeters long. There are 2 different types of fairy shrimp eggs. Male fairy shrimp have an enlarged second antenna used to clasp the female during mating. Female fairy shrimp often have a brood sack on their abdomen. There is over 300 different fairy shrimp. Their real name is Anostraca. They are on the endangered species list (there are only 16% left). Fairy shrimp are related to lobsters and crabs.
Niche 2
Fairy shrimp eat polychaete worms, amphipods, nematodes, crustacean larvae, isopods, and copepods. Shrimp are also known to be cannibalistic and they will scavenge on dead animals that may be leftovers from other predators. Animals that eat them include many birds, fish , predatory waterfowl and humans.
Other Roles in the Ecosystem 2
This animal is a very important part of the ecosystem because it makes the vernal pool water clean because its 11 legs collect algae, bacteria and it is high in protein for the animals that eat it.
Sources 2
http://www.Wikipedia.com
http://www.fws.gov
http://www.arkive.org
http://www.vernalpool.org
http://www.myaquariumclub.com
http://www.ask.com
http://www.defendersblog.org
Sources and Credits
- Adapted by spotted salamander group from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anostraca
- (c) spotted salamander group, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
