# Have you ever seen anything like this?



## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

We spotted these in a little pond used to water cattle. Kind of looks like a horseshoe crab from above. The shell is soft and they get caught on their back and can't really get back over.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Wow, that's creepy. Just don't let it lay eggs in your stomach! :lol:


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

I'd be looking for the mother ship.


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## MKP (Mar 7, 2010)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triops

We see them in pools out in the desert from time to time.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

You DID put it back unharmed right? 

endangered vernal pool tadpole shrimp:

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/landowner ... _bank.html

-DallanC


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Hmm looks like my link is a subset of the general type MKP linked. Very cool looking. How big was it Huge? It looks like around 3/4" comparing it to that bolt head.


-DallanC


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

That is cool info thanks guys.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Alien.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

2nd damnest thing I ever seen.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

DallanC said:


> Hmm looks like my link is a subset of the general type MKP linked. Very cool looking. How big was it Huge? It looks like around 3/4" comparing it to that bolt head.
> 
> -DallanC


Apparently, you can't type info while the pic is loading; I meant to put that in there. About 1-1/2"-2" long and about 3/4" wide.


wyogoob said:


> 2nd damnest thing I ever seen.


And the First damnedest thing?

My kids are determined that they are poisonous just from the looks; they were not impressed at all. I thought it was a tadpole at first until he rolled over and turned red.


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## brfisherman17 (Jan 21, 2011)

Huge29 said:


> My kids are determined that they are poisonous just from the looks; they were not impressed at all. I thought it was a tadpole at first until he rolled over and turned red.


They use to sell triops eggs at wal-mart and you could just hatch them at home. Gave you a little pack of brine shimp to feed them. They can get to about the size of a quarter, and they're not poisonous... Someone probably just dumped some in the pond.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Awesome look'in little alien...


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

I bet they would be a great forage species in a private pond...


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## brfisherman17 (Jan 21, 2011)

Here's an informative video about them.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

Pretty cool pics. Thanks for sharing.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

feed 'em to your cichlids...


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## hattrick (Aug 29, 2011)

Look like triops to me. I bought one of those Wal-Mart triop aquariums from my little brother a few years back. They are interesting little buggers. They were fun to watch grow until they started stinking up his room. I bet someone had the same situation and ended up taking the stinky jar and dumping it in the pond.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

PBH said:


> feed 'em to your cichlids...


Damnation! I didn't think of that, but mine would be a hair small.

If these are sold all over; makes me question the one article showing that they were endangered??


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## FSHCHSR (Aug 30, 2008)

The ones in the post that are endangered i believe are a brackish water spieces. The triops you found are common in ponds all over the world. Catch several put them in a fish bowl with a sandy bottm till they die then let the water evaporate and the sand dry completely refill with water and you will have hundreds of them. yes they make great cichlid treats.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Huge29 said:


> If these are sold all over; makes me question the one article showing that they were endangered??


I think I linked to a specific sub-species that is endangered. /shrug they seem to be pretty common, all kinds of video of them on youtube.

-DallanC


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

FSHCHSR said:


> The ones in the post that are endangered i believe are a brackish water spieces. The triops you found are common in ponds all over the world. Catch several put them in a fish bowl with a sandy bottm till they die then let the water evaporate and the sand dry completely refill with water and you will have hundreds of them. yes they make great cichlid treats.


That is crazy, but I think I'll pass; they did stink!


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## Skullanchor (Jul 29, 2008)

Whoa! never seen anything like it except horseshoe crabs when i was stationed in FL. Thanks for sharing


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