martinzoo

When I was at our local craft store I noticed that they had a bargain bin. Digging through it, I found this cool little science kit from the Smithsonian Museum. It’s called ‘Prehistoric Sea Monsters.’ They aren’t really sea monsters, but fossils of these triops (tadpole shrimp) have been found in items dating back to the prehistoric era. And since they look exactly like their ancestors, triops are considered living fossils.

Triops are found in standing fresh water, especially temporary rain pools, often in the desert or semi-desert areas. The eggs can survive drying and freezing and hatch the following year when the pools refill with water. They can stay alive for up to 9 years in the soil. But they will hatch within 2 days of getting wet.

They’re really much cooler than the ’sea monkeys’ that we’ve gotten before. For one thing, they actually work. We started them up four days ago and they are already visible from across the room (approx. 1/4 inch).

Triops come from the crustacean family, which includes crabs and lobsters. They should grow quickly to about 1 – 3 inches.

They were cheap, and so far, utterly fascinating!