SanDiegoFairyShrimp

Branchinecta sandiegonensis Nicknames: Can be referred to as Sea Monkies By: Ryan Trocinski
 * San Diego Fairy Shrimp**

Category: Fish Adult San Diego Fairy Shrimps range from 8-16 mm in length. They swim upside down, and have 11 pairs of legs used to swim. Fairy Shrimp have stalked eyes and have three states of being; resting, drifting, and darting.
 * __Description__**



Fairy Shrimp feed on algae, protozoa and bacteria floating in the water. They have also been observed eating dead or decaying tadpoles or other larger organisms. San Diego Fairy Shrimp, who can lay from 10-150 eggs at a time, survive only because of this rapid repopulation. The female can survive several matings through her life, but the male dies immediately after mating.

The San Diego Fairy Shrimp is largely found in tidal or fresh water pools in Southern California. The historic range and current range have not differed greatly, but the current range is receding due to devestating droughts in southern California. Fairy Shrimp live in shallow water, in both fresh and salt water, from 5 to 30 centimeters of water. The Shrimp do not migrate, but their eggs are able to survive several dry spells and will only hatch after rainfall. Because they live in such small pools and areas, they are preyed on by very few creatures. Their only two predators are both seasonal, and no fish can survive long enough in the pools to prey on the shrimp.
 * __Habitat__**

The San Diego Fairy Shrimp is suffering from a loss of habitat in southern California that can be directly linked to the drought that is devestating much of the western United States. Because the tidal pools are drying out, the eggs are remaining unhatched and the population is stuck in one generation. Unless water can be reintroduced into the ecosystem, Fairy Shrimp eggs will not hatch and the species will fade into extinction.
 * __Problems__**

Steps are being taken by the EPA and various local organizations in California to essentially water the areas where the eggs still lay dormant. The unfortunate consequence of this option is a constant need for water, as the water will quickly dry up and kill the hatchlings. Another option is to remove the eggs into labs or zoos, but then the tidal ecosystem would lose a integral species to its function. Unfortunately, there is no clear or easy solution to the problem, so gradual steps with an eye to the future is necessary to the preservation of the San Diego Fairy Shrimp.
 * __Solution__**

Walters, Martin & Johnson, Jinny. //The World of Animals//. [|Bath, Somerset]: [|Parragon], 2007. The Vernal Pool, Scott Green, []