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VIDEO: Living fossils 550 million years old spotted in Arizona
The prehistoric creature is also known as the “dinosaur shrimp” because its appearance has changed very little from its ancestors that lived during the Neoproterozoic era
December 29, 2022 12:59am
Updated: December 29, 2022 11:42am
A group of “living fossils” that have lived on the planet for about 550 million years were spotted by a tourist in Arizona.
The prehistoric Triops, a three-eyed tadpole-looking animal from the time of the dinosaurs, was captured swimming in the water in “The Wave,” a popular sandstone rock formation.
Adar Leinovitch, 29, was visiting the popular tourist destination when he spotted the odd-looking creature swimming in the shallow pool of water within the rock formation.
“I was so confused why I was in the middle of the desert and in the puddle there were living creatures, how could this possibly be,” Leinovitch posted in a video of the Triops on his Instagram account.
“Their Eggs can be left alone for years and once water touches the egg, its activated and life is created.”
Triops are named after the greek word for “three-eyes” because the tadpole shrimp creature has two large compound eyes and a small ocellus or “simple eye” in the middle.
The prehistoric creature is also known as the “dinosaur shrimp” because its appearance has changed very little from its ancestors that lived during the Neoproterozoic era, about 550 million years ago.
“We’re so lucky we get to live in a world where a cool creature like this Triop Fish, is our oldest creature on the planet that we know of,” Leibovitch added.
While it is rare to see the prehistoric crustaceans, another sighting was reported last year, also in Arizona when a monsoon awoke the Trios from their decades-long slumber.
