Why is it fascinating that a shrimp has survived on Earth for more than 250 million years? because this makes it the oldest species to have lived on our planet without interruption. We talk about Triops cancriformis.
According to a report published on the website of Nat Geo in Spanishthis species is known as “living fossils”, because they provide information about primitive life forms that inhabited the Earth in the remote past.
The Triops cancriformis, according to Naturalista, It is a branchiopod crustacean belonging to the order Notostracea.. They are considered the oldest living species on the planet because they date from the Triacic period, about 250 million years ago.
Interestingly, this species survived the Chicxulub asteroid that wiped out 70 percent of prehistoric life forms that existed 66 million years ago.
The “tortuguita” or “tortugueta” shrimp
This little shrimp, which can be seen off the coast of Ecuador, receives affectionate nicknames such as “tortuguita” or “tortugueta”. In other Latin countries they call it shield shrimp for its natural shell that protects its viscera and preserves a structure similar to trilobitesa kind of prehistoric crustacean.
These shrimp are characterized by having shovel-like bodies, which are perfect for digging to the bottom of the temporary pools they inhabit.
Guinness World Records recognized the species as the oldest that persists to this day. Its biological design has guaranteed its subsistence for much longer than any other animal that has walked the Earth.
Over time, the body of the shrimp has changed. The distribution of their organs and joints has slowly adapted, according to the needs of each era, being survivors of the different climatic changes that the planet has faced.