Photo by: Nora Papian/USFWS
Conservancy Fairy Shrimp
Branchinecta conservatio
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Endangered
(fws.gov)
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U.S. Endangered Species Act
(fws.gov)
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They are threatened by habitat loss due to development, poor agricultural grazing practices and pesticides, pressure from non-native plants, and disturbances such as drought and climate change (fws.gov).
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They reside in vernal pools located in California’s Central Valley from Tehama County to Merced County (fws.gov).
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These shrimp are rare and live in playa pools which are large, turbid freshwater vernal pools. They are found in areas with low alkalinity of 16-47 parts per million and can reside in varying elevations from 5-1,700 meters above sea level. They are opportunistic filter feeders, eating various organisms such as algae, bacteria, and other plant or animal material in the water. Their life span is roughly 114 days, with maturation occurring around day 37 and reproduction around day 46. These shrimp disappear before the vernal pools dry down. Conservancy fairy shrimp have little dispersal ability, gaining help from aquatic birds and mammals that transport their cysts. Like other fairy shrimp, females carry fertilized eggs underneath their bodies and are either dropped by the mother or fall to the bottom of the pool when the female dies. The eggs dry out, known as cysts, following the drying event and hatch in response to rains that fill the vernal pools once again (fws.gov).
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Item description
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Conservancy fairy shrimp have slender bodies with large, stalked compound eyes. They have 11 pairs of swimming legs and glide upside down in the water, creating a wavelike motion moving from front to back. While they are very similar to other fairy shrimp, Conservancy fairy shrimp have flattened parts of their antennae and lack a hard outer shell (fws.gov).
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