Monday, September 1, 2008

220 million year old shrimp invasion!

We absolutely love stories like these. The reason?

220 million year old shrimp "invasions" remind us that "modern humans" have only been on the planet for a paltry 80,000 years or so....oh and these critters are tasty too!

Shrimp Invasion

Specimens of the tadpole shrimp date back to at least 220 million years ago. It is now almost extinct in the UK but recent heavy downpours have seen the creature flourish at the Caerlaverock reserve in Dumfries and Galloway.

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust researcher Larry Griffin said that three-times the average rainfall for August created "ideal conditions" for the species. The creature had been thought to be extinct in Scotland until it was found at Caerlaverock on the Solway Firth four years ago. Mr Griffin, who spotted the tiny species in the same location in 2004, was "very excited" to see it return.

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