Fairy Shrimp in Alaska

From Aquatic Insects in Alaska by John Hudson, Katherine Hocker and Robert H. Armstrong

Although they are not true shrimp (not even very closely related), fairy shrimp do look a bit like shrimp: they are somewhat flattened side-to-side, with many swimming legs and a bit of a curve to their backs. They’re great swimmers—and they almost always swim on their backs as they filter algae from the water with specialized legs. Some feed on bacteria, small invertebrates, and crustacean eggs. Fairy shrimp are adapted to live in ponds and wetlands that dry up during certain weather conditions or at certain times of year. Their eggs can survive long periods of drought, then hatch out when their pond is full of water again.