Unusual Creatures Emerge After Rainfall at Wupatki National Monument
In an unexpected turn of events during the summer of 2023, visitors to Wupatki National Monument stumbled upon peculiar creatures inhabiting a flooded area of the Ancestral Puebloan ballcourt. Initially mistaken for tadpoles, these tiny beings sparked curiosity among the park staff.
The region had experienced an almost record-breaking sequence of weather events, including significant winter snowfall, a robust spring thaw, and substantial monsoon rains. These conditions led park staff to presume that the creatures were toad tadpoles.
However, upon closer inspection, a ranger discovered something entirely different. The inch-long organisms bore a striking resemblance to miniature pink horseshoe crabs, featuring three eyes and ribbed tails with dual prongs.
These were Triops, often referred to as ‘dinosaur shrimp’ or living fossils because they have changed very little from their ancestors found in Jurassic-era rocks, which are over 140 million years old.
Triops are unique creatures belonging to the hexapod group, more specifically the springtail family. Unlike typical insects that have external mouths, springtails, including Triops, possess internal mouthparts to consume their diet of fungi, insects, and decaying plant material.
Equipped with a tail-like structure known as a furcula, Triops can perform impressive leaps to evade threats, often jumping many times their own body length.
The eggs of Triops can remain dormant for years in dry desert soils. When conditions are favorable, such as the formation of temporary ponds, these eggs hatch, and the creatures rapidly mature, reproduce, and lay eggs to await the next wet season.
This account was prepared by Diane Hope and produced by KNAU in conjunction with the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
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