Brine Shrimp
Artemia salina · Crustacean, invertebrate, cold-blooded, wild/aquaculture
Animal Family
Artemiidae, order Anostraca, class Branchiopoda
Animal Category
Domestic Pet / Aquatic Invertebrate / Live Food
Breed / Variety
Sea-Monkeys (a hybrid breed known as Artemia NYOS)
Conservation Status
Least Concern (IUCN); population stable but threatened by habitat pollution and changes in lake salinity.
About This Creature
Small, elongated crustacean measuring 8-15mm. Pale white, orange, or pink depending on diet. Features a segmented body without a carapace.
Physical Characteristics
Three distinct body parts: head, thorax with 11 pairs of swimming legs, and abdomen. Two compound eyes on stalks and a single naupliar eye.
Behavior & Temperament
Social in density, continuous swimmers, phototactic (attracted to light), filter feeders using leg movements for oxygen and food.
Habitat & Diet
Origin Region
Globally in salt lakes and brine ponds, specifically the Great Salt Lake and Mediterranean region
Habitat
Hypersaline lakes and ponds; aquatic locomotion using 11 pairs of phyllopodia (leaf-like legs)
Diet & Nutrition
Filter feeder, consuming microalgae (phytoplankton), bacteria, and detritus from the water column.
Lifespan & Health
Living several months in optimal conditions. Reproduces via cysts (dormant eggs) that can survive years of desiccation.
Special Characteristics
Cryptobiosis allows eggs to survive extreme drying/freezing; provides the carotenoids that give flamingos their pink color.
Ecological Information
Primary consumer in hypersaline ecosystems; critical food source for migratory birds like flamingos and various fish species.
Notes
It is a plankton and flamingos eat this, often called as “ Sea Monkeys “