Abundant monsoon brings out rare 'dinosaur shrimp' at Wupatki National Monument

This year’s abundant monsoon season has brought out thousands of rarely seen three-eyed “dinosaur shrimp”. The eggs of these tadpole-size Triops can lie dormant for decades until enough rainfall creates bodies of water for hatchlings to mature and lay more eggs. Officials at Wupatki National Monument told the publication Live Science that the prehistoric-looking crustaceans came to life in a temporary desert lake and in standing water on the ballcourt this summer. These events are extremely uncommon. Triops, or dinosaur shrimp, evolved during the Devonian period, 400 million years ago, before dinosaurs emerged.