Dormant shrimp awakened, found swimming at Joshua Tree National Park

You won’t find fairy shrimp on the Red Lobster menu, however, you will find them swimming at Joshua Tree National Park.

Last month, Tropical Storm Hilary dropped 1 to 4 inches of rain on different parts of the park, which seemed to have brought the 22-legged crustaceans to life after they sat dormant for years, park rangers said. 

The rangers took to Facebook on Tuesday to say, “Shrimp in the desert? Yup.” 

“Fairy shrimp eggs can lie dormant for years in the soil of dry pools and potholes,” said rangers, who added that after the tropical storm, the shrimp were found in the waters of a previously “bone dry” Barker Dam reservoir. 

Once the pools and potholes fill with water, and the right conditions occur, these eggs can activate, hatch, grow, and mature, the ranger said.

After the tropical storm, it was filled with water, fairy shrimp, tadpoles, and aquatic insects, the rangers said. 

Vernal pool fairy shrimp 

Vernal pool fairy shrimp are small, freshwater crustaceans that are found in vernal pools in California, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Vernal pools, or seasonal pools, are a unique type of wetland habitat, wildlife experts say. 

The fairy shrimp have slender bodies, large, stalked compound eyes, and 11 pairs of swimming legs that also function as gills. 

They glide through the water upside down, swimming by beating their legs in a complex, wavelike movement that passes from front to back. Unlike other types of shrimp, the vernal pool fairy shrimp does not have a hard outer shell.

Fairy shrimp are restricted to vernal pools found in California and southern Oregon. They are currently found in 32 counties across California’s Central Valley, Central Coast, Southern California, and in Jackson County in southern Oregon.

The vernal pool fairy shrimp was listed as threatened on Sept. 19, 1994. 

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz