Tadpole shrimp
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
