Brine shrimp

Commonly known as the "Sea Monkey"...

Many people who visit the Great Salt Lake don't even notice the most numerous inhabitant of this ecosystem. The brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana, thrives here regardless of the salty water and fluctuating water temperatures. Although small, they serve as an essential food source for millions of birds that breed or stopover at the Great Salt Lake during migration, and, in recent years, these shrimp support a multi-million dollar commercial harvest. Who would have thought that a shrimp industry could develop in the Great Basin desert?! The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has undertaken the duty of monitoring, researching, and protecting Artemia in the Great Salt Lake in order to preserve this vital resource.