Hundreds of 'dinosaur shrimps' appeared in the middle of the Arizona desert: even park employees were confused - ForumDaily
The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.
Переклад цього матеріалу українською мовою з російської було автоматично здійснено сервісом Google Translate, без подальшого редагування тексту.
Bu məqalə Google Translate servisi vasitəsi ilə avtomatik olaraq rus dilindən azərbaycan dilinə tərcümə olunmuşdur. Bundan sonra mətn redaktə edilməmişdir.

Hundreds of 'dinosaur shrimps' appeared in the middle of the desert in Arizona: even the staff of the park were confused

After a torrential summer rainstorm in northern Arizona, tiny eggs hatched from tiny eggs, hundreds of bizarre, prehistoric creatures that began to swim in a temporary lake amid the desert landscape, according to Wupatki National Monument officials. Live Science.

Photo: Shutterstock

These tadpole-sized creatures, called triopes, "look like little horseshoe crabs with three eyes," said Lauren Carter, lead ranger at Wupatki National Monument.

According to the University of Central Michigan, their eggs can lay dormant in the desert for decades until enough rain falls to create lakes that give them space and time to hatch and lay eggs for the next generation.

The appearance of the triops is so unusual that when tourists reported seeing them in the temporary lake, the staff of the monument did not know what to do.

“After the rainy season at the end of July, we knew that at the “Ball Field” (historical monument. - Prim. a row.) there is water, but we didn’t expect there to be anything alive in it,” Carter noted. “Then a visitor came up and said that we had some tadpoles on the site.”

At first she thought they were toads that live in underground burrows during the dry season and climb out during the rainy season to lay their eggs. Carter went to the site to investigate.

On the subject: Fish species thought to be extinct along with dinosaurs found alive

"I just picked it up with my hand and looked at it and thought, 'What is this?' I had no idea,” Carter said. But then this creature seemed familiar to her. Carter previously worked at Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona and recalled reports of triopes there.

Triops—meaning “three eyes” in Greek—are sometimes called “dinosaur shrimp” due to their long evolutionary history; The ancestors of these crustaceans evolved during the Devonian period (419–359 million years ago), and their appearance has remained virtually unchanged since then, according to Central Michigan University. It should be noted that dinosaurs appeared much later, during the Triassic period, which began approximately 252 million years ago.

However, triopes are not exactly the same as their ancestors, so they cannot be considered "living fossils."

"I don't like the term 'living fossils' because it creates misunderstanding among the public and implies that they haven't changed at all," Carter said. “But they have changed, they have evolved. They just look very similar to what they were millions of years ago.”

The family Triopsidae has two genera, Triops and Lepidurus, which together include up to 12 species, according to Central Michigan University. The creatures found at the site may be Triops longicaudatus, a species native to short-lived freshwater ponds known as vernal pools in North, Central and South America, but scientific analysis is needed to confirm this, Carter said.

Once hatched, triopes can grow up to 1,5 inches (4 centimeters) long with a shield-like shell that looks like a miniature helmet, according to Central Michigan University. Triops' eyes make them evil and wise at the same time - they have two large compound eyes with a black rim (like a dragonfly or bee) and a small ocelli, or simple eye, between them. According to the Society of Amateur Entomologists, ocelli are common among arthropods. They are full of simple photoreceptors that help these creatures detect light.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

In this case, the triops were lucky with a short but strong period of rain. Wupatki typically receives about 9 inches (22,9 cm) of rain per year, Carter said. In 2020, Wupatki had its driest summer with the lowest seasonal rainfall on record, with just 4 inches (10,2 cm) of rain. But in the last week and a half of July 2021, the region received heavy rain—almost 5 inches (12,7 cm).

During this time, the eggs hatched and after a few hours the little creatures were likely to begin their maturation. Like other crustaceans, they went through several stages to full maturity in just over a week.

Males and females usually mate through sexual reproduction, but they have other means; these crustaceans are also hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs, and parthenogenetic, meaning that females can produce offspring from unfertilized eggs.

Triops can live up to 90 days, but the pond only lasted three to four weeks, Carter said. Almost immediately, local birds noticed it - crows and nighthawks began hunting for the creatures.

It is not known how many triops managed to lay their eggs before the lake dried up. Rangers will have to wait until next rainy season to find out.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Myths and truth about mosquitoes - from historical facts to the danger of bites

Ten most underrated sights in the USA

Top 25 places to visit in Los Angeles

Not just a vaccine: amazing scientific discoveries in 2020

Animals die out like dinosaurs: scientists say it threatens civilization

In the U.S. Arizona Dinosaurs
Subscribe to ForumDaily on Google News

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis. 



 
1073 requests in 1,184 seconds.