ECOSYSTEMS DIGITAL SEN

Fairy shrimp are small organisms that live in vernal pools. When fully grown, they are smaller than a pinkie finger. Fairy shrimp are usually white, but they can be red and green in vernal pools.

 

Fairy shrimp swim around vernal pools eating roots and algae at the bottom of vernal pools. As they eat, fairy shrimp stir the dirt at the bottom of the pool. This movement mixes food particles into the water and helps feed other organisms.

 

Fairy shrimp’s color helps them blend into their surroundings and avoid predators. Their predators are tiger salamander larvae, frogs, and some birds.