Hundreds of three-eyed animals appear in the late July rainy season in northern Arizona, United States. These animals are called triops, ancient animals that are still alive today.
Triops is actually a type of shrimp that lives in fresh water and is born from small eggs. Sometimes, it is referred to as the tadpole shrimp, shield shrimp, or dinosaur shrimp.
They usually live in ponds or puddles of fresh water and other places that are quite high in land. Arguably, triops is a living fossil because its external appearance has not changed much since the Triassic period. This species has survived since about 200-350 million years ago.
Quoting from various sources, the name "triops" comes from the Greek, which means "three eyes". These animals are classified as crustaceans or crustaceans.
This animal belongs to the genus of small crustaceans in the order Notostraca. They live in spring ponds in Africa, Australia, Asia, South America, Europe, and parts of North America.
The physical form of triops is like the form of trilobites (a type of marine anthropod). Although similar, triops are different from trilobites. The life span of triops is usually between 1-3 months, and has a body length of 5cm.
The short lifespan of triops is also because in the wild, triops usually live in ponds or puddles of water that usually dry up quickly. But before they are completely dry, the triops will lay their eggs and bury the eggs in the sand or soil.
Uniquely, triops eggs can be "paused" when the puddle starts to dry. These eggs will only hatch when it rains and start to make puddles again. In fact, Triops eggs can survive up to 30 years without water. That's why triops can survive until now.
Apparently, there are also types of triops that are kept. Triops eggs are widely sold in several online stores abroad and in Indonesia. The eggs are then put into an aquarium filled with water, stirred and wait until they hatch. Triops eggs will hatch within 24 hours, and triops can be fed bloodworms.
