Invertebrate · GBIF taxon 2235237
Sea Monkey
Artemia salinaAlso known as Brine Shrimp, Salt Lake Shrimp
Brine shrimp inhabit extreme hypersaline environments like salt lakes and evaporation ponds where fish predators cannot survive. They produce extraordinary dormant cyst eggs that can endure total dehydration for years before hatching upon rehydration. Their continuous upside-down swimming uses leaf-like appendages that function simultaneously as gills and filter-feeding tools.
AquaticCrustaceanExtremophile
Licensed referenceHans Hillewaert / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Green algae
- Phytoplankton
- Bacteria
Predators
- Flamingos
- Avocets
- Water bugs
ThreatsHabitat alteration, water pollution, and changes in salinity levels
HabitatsHypersaline lakes, coastal salt pans, and evaporation ponds
Life span2 to 6 months
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyArtemiidae
- SpeciesArtemia salina
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Salinity Balance: Maintain high salt concentrations in aquariums to prevent unwanted bacterial blooms.
- Gentle Transfer: Use a fine pipette or soft mesh net when moving individuals to prevent physical injury.
- Light Tracking: Observe their strong phototactic response by shining a penlight onto one side of their container.
Predator "Greater Flamingo" by btrentler is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Primary Food Source (c) Lek Khauv, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Evolutionary Cousin (c) Мирослав Соболев, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Syd Cannings, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Syd Cannings · cc-by
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