The Wonder of the Fairy Shrimp!

Is this wicked looking, or what?

I think I can remember this climbing into Checkoff's ear in one of the Star Trek movies!

This is a Fairy Shrimp. There eggs inhabit catch basins in the desert and when it rains the eggs hatch and the shrimp begin to grow. Before the water completely evaporates the shrimp lay their eggs and the eggs can sit in the sand in the dried up catch basin for up to years before it rains again, and the shrimp start their life cycle all over again.

This is the catch basin (tinyaha: in Paiute) where I photographed the Fairy Shrimp.

This is near Atlatal Rock in the Valley of Fire State Park.

A view of the bottom side of the Fairy Shrimp.

And here it is a little closer up.