Fairy Shrimp spotted at Joshua Tree National Park after rain fills resevoir
Photos into the newsroom show shrimp in Joshua Tree National Park.
Park rangers shared photos of shrimp in the Barker Dam Reservoir inside Joshua Tree National Park. What you're looking at is a creature called a "fairy shrimp."
They are one of the thousands of species of arthropods that can be found in Joshua Tree. All arthropods have a hardened outer shell of exoskeleton, a segmented body and jointed appendages.
So why are we seeing fairy shrimp now? Fairy shrimp eggs can lie dormant for years in the soil. Once areas fill with water, and the right conditions occur, these eggs can activate, hatch, grow, and mature.
The adults will then deposit eggs before the pool dries up once again.
Before Tropical Storm Hilary dropped 1 to 4 inches of rain in parts of the park, it was bone dry. It's now full of water, fairy shrimp, tadpoles, and aquatic insects after the storm.
Landscapes that dry up and then fill with water at certain times of the year can be found around the state.
