Little Known Sea Monkey Facts For Your Enjoyment

Before I get into the good stuff about my own colony of Sea Monkeys, I thought I'd post some facts about them first.  It's actually pretty interesting stuff!

-Sea Monkeys are a hybrid type of shrimp not found in nature.  They are a cross between Brine shrimp and Fairy shrimp.  Their correct Latin name is Artemia NYOS, after the New York Ocean Science Lab where they were created in the 1950's.

-When you see the little packets of Sea Monkey eggs they are in a state of animated suspension called Cryptobiosis, which means "hidden life".  They can remain inside their eggs like this for up to a full decade even in the harshest of climates!

-Sea Monkeys have been taken into space flights with NASA, brought back to Earth and still hatched normally!

-The eggs will never hatch without 4 things: water, the correct water conditions (such as salinity and purity), adequate oxygenation the proper temperatures which is 70-80 degrees F.

-Baby Sea Monkeys are born with only one eye.  By the time they reach adulthood (4-6 weeks after hatching), they have three!

-Sea Monkeys breathe through their feet.

-The adults have 11 pairs of legs!

-Male Sea Monkeys have whiskers which they use to grasp the base of the female's tail during mating.  They are also used to fight with other males.  This is usually over a female.

-When pregnant, female Sea Monkeys have a pink or black egg sack where their body and tail meet.  They are capable of reproducing with the help of a male, or asexually.  Birth is given either to eggs or live Sea Monkeys.  There is no recorded gestation time the female will carry her egg sack; simply until she decides it's time to give birth.  Each pregnant female normally yields around 20 babies.

-They only have to be fed once per week, and NEVER have to have their tank cleaned as they eat the algae between feedings and even get oxygen from it!

-Sea Monkeys molt up to seven times during their lifetime.

-They need to be kept in a warm area placed in indirect sunlight.  Direct sunlight will result in their tank becoming too hot and they will ultimately die.

-Sea Monkeys are guaranteed to live a minimum of two years when taken care of properly!

*All information in this post is the product of my extensive research.