Posted by tleemay on March 17, 2005 at 09:03:24:
And we thought that Mantis Shrimp could be nasty -
A military biologist has documented a new species of fairy shrimp in
Idaho, one of only four species among hundreds that are longer than
an inch (2.54 cm) and eat their relatives, officials said on
Wednesday.
Dana Quinney, a biologist with the Idaho National Guard, said the
new species most closely resembled "a feathery preying mantis with
an attitude."
Unlike the vast majority of fairy shrimp, the new species is armed
with spines and ready to rumble with its smaller counterparts, said
Quinney, adding, "This guy is a carnivore, grabbing onto little guys
and eating them."
The 3-inch (7.6-cm), flesh-colored crustacean can lie dormant for
years, even decades, in egg form, emerging only when infrequent
rains and runoff fill the desert lakes of southwestern Idaho. Then
it goes amok, eating, mating and laying eggs before another dry
spell descends.
In lean times, the mega-sized fairy shrimp -- which sports hooked
arms, a forked tail and turquoise-colored reproductive organs --
clamps its fairy shrimp cousins to its abdomen to store for future
dining.
"It's a very cool critter," said Quinney.