triops
Living fossil shrimp
Triops are small freshwater crustaceans with a distinctive shield-shaped carapace and three eyes—two compound eyes and one simple eye between them.
Often called tadpole shrimp or dinosaur shrimp, they've remained largely unchanged for hundreds of millions of years.
Their eggs can survive decades of drought, hatching when water returns.
Triops are popular in children's science kits: My son's triops hatched overnight.
Aquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- compound eyesMulti-lensed visual organs
- living fossilOrganism unchanged since prehistory
- larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
molt · exoskeleton · segmented · appendages · zooplankton · invertebrate · aquatic · freshwater
Domesticated household companion
- hatchingEmergence from an egg
- aquariumTank for keeping fish
- tankLarge storage vessel
- detritusLoose waste from decay
sediment · lifespan · breeding · cannibalism · water quality · substrate · aeration · feeding
Precipitation in arid regions
- dormancySuspended biological activity
- diapauseInsect developmental suspension
- mud flatCoastal sediment exposed tidally
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
rice paddy · pest control · detritivore · omnivore · scavenger · rainwater · arid climate
crustacean
Aquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- compound eyesMulti-lensed visual organs
- living fossilOrganism unchanged since prehistory
larvae · molt · exoskeleton · segmented · appendages · zooplankton · invertebrate · aquatic · freshwater · vernal pool
pet
Domesticated household companion
detritus · sediment · lifespan · breeding · cannibalism · water quality · substrate · aeration · feeding · brine shrimp
desert rain
Precipitation in arid regions
- dormancySuspended biological activity
- diapauseInsect developmental suspension
- mud flatCoastal sediment exposed tidally
wetland · rice paddy · pest control · detritivore · omnivore · scavenger · rainwater · arid climate
- jazz trioThree-piece improvisational ensemble
- power trioBand with three instruments
- rock trioThree-member guitar band
- folk trioThree-person traditional ensemble
- antimony trioxideWhite antimony compound
- piano trioThree-instrument chamber group