The Arc de Triops
👁👁👁
Welcome!
Behold! A Triops!
But... what IS it?
First of all, in case you are wondering... it's pronounced TRY-ops like 'triceratops' or 'cyclops'. Tri means three and ops means eyes. And yes, this does mean they have THREE eyes! The three eye thing is definitely my favourite thing about them. And I'll tell you right away that they are only 2-3 inches long, not including the tail. They remind me of mini horseshoe crabs. These fabulous creatures are crustaceans in the family of tadpole shrimp. Fossils of these creatures have been found from 300 million years ago. They are found all over the world and often live in seasonal pools of water. My least favourite fact about these lil creepers is that they only live for about three months.
Learn more about Triops here!You can hatch your own!
That's right! I am sure right now you just cannot wait to get your hands
on some Triops! Come to think of it, this is actually the weirdest thing
about the crustacean: the eggs come dry in a box like a fine powder and
you...just add water! While dry, the eggs remain in a state of dormancy
called diapause until they are submerged in water and
conditions are perfect.
They. Are. Fussy.