Plea to Aussie drivers as rainfall awakens 'living fossils' hiding underground
Earlier this month, heavy rainfall swept across the country's dusty red centre, bringing much-needed relief to drought-stricken South Australia, and drenching areas of western Queensland that are still recovering from heavy flooding in March.
With more wild weather sweeping the nation this week, one man has reminded travellers passing through the outback to be aware of shield shrimp emerging from the ground. 'Keep an eye out for these in the puddles along the road,' Peter Cole said online alongside a photo of one of the small desert crustaceans in the palm of his hand.
Speaking to Yahoo News, Peter said he had never seen a shield shrimp before he stumbled upon an 'abundance' of the creatures in puddles on a road just north of Tibooburra, a town in the far northwest of NSW, while travelling in 2021.
'We pulled into Tibooburra Pub and showed a few locals the photo, one old bushy who had lived there for 50 years said he had never seen one.'
What are shield shrimp?
Shield Shrimp belong to a group of crustaceans called 'branchiopods', which literally means 'gill feet', Dr Marissa McNamara, Collection Manager of Crustacea at Queensland Museum, told Yahoo.
The creatures, which are widespread across inland Australia, have leaf-life, lobed feet, each bearing a gill plate that allows them to breathe, she explained, adding their shield protects the head and frontal portion of their multi-segmented bodies.
'Females carry their eggs under the body; these are highly resistant to drying out, and they can survive for many years in the desert clay before hatching,' Dr McNamara said.
'The eggs need water to hatch — the larvae then grow into adults and lay their own eggs very quickly, before the water dries up. The eggs can remain viable for at least several years, and perhaps more (definitive data on the maximum timespan is unavailable).'
They are sometimes referred to as 'living fossils'. 'Specimens today look similar to shield shrimp that lived over 300 million years ago. They also live in the desert, which is an unusual habitat for crustaceans,' Dr McNamara told Yahoo.
Only one species is currently recognised in Australia — Triops australiensis — however recent research has found evidence that there may be at least 17 more species in this genus.
🐦 The 'rule' Aussies must follow if they see one of world's rarest creatures
✈️ Aussie pilot captures extraordinary moment during record-breaking event
🚙 Travelling Aussie couple's incredibly special find next to outback track
Thrilled Aussies share their own shield shrimp sightings
Numerous thrilled Aussies have inundated Peter's post with stories of their own sightings, including one man who claimed he once found shield shrimp in puddles on top of Uluru. Others said the crustaceans 'fascinated' them as a child.
Several people also shared photos and pictures of their own encounters in recent years. 'I saw one of these in a 'dry lake' that had filled with rain last winter in the Goldfields! I thought it was some kind of unusual tadpole and tried searching for it,' one woman wrote.
'I used to live in outback NSW and after every rain we would find them in the puddles,' someone else said.
'Yeah, I've seen them up near Cockburn after a massive rain, they freaked me out, weird looking things,' a third person added.
With the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook predicting above-average rainfall west of the Great Dividing Range over the next few months, many more may still have a chance to catch a glimpse of a shield shrimp — but they should refrain from touching it.
'It's best to leave shield shrimp undisturbed, especially given evidence that there are many unique species with restricted distributions, rather than one widespread Australian species,' Dr McNamara said.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Centrelink update on little-known support for Aussies facing harrowing threat
Homelessness goes beyond sleeping rough on the street. It can also be staying in crisis accommodation, couch surfing, car camping and living in a severely overcrowded home. It's more common and more complex than many people realise. New data from Homelessness Australia found that between 2021-22 to 2023-24, there was a five per cent uptick in families with children turning to homelessness services for urgent help. Nominally, this reflected a 4654-person increase, with 92,476 people seeking help from services in that period, with the number of families already homeless at the time of seeking help increasing by 11 per cent. Whether you're experiencing homelessness now or are at risk of it, you don't have to go through it alone. RELATED Centrelink issues ATO tax refund warning: 'Repay it' St George Bank increases fee to deposit or withdraw cash by 200 per cent Gen Z with $100,000 in savings reveals 'common' money traps Aussies waste cash on Across the nation, community organisations are doing vital, frontline work of supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. From general crisis and support services, mental health facilities, drug and alcohol services and domestic violence services – these groups are often the first point of contact when someone needs help. Services Australia is just one part of the broader system working to support people doing it tough. Jobseeker If you're aged between 22 and Age Pension age, and you're actively looking for work (unless you're sick or injured and can't do your usual work or study for a short time), you may be eligible for JobSeeker Payment. To qualify you must be an Australian resident, pass an income and assets test, be willing and able to work. As of 20 March, 2025 a single person with no children could receive up to $781.10 per fortnight. But the amount you get is going to depend on individual circumstances like whether you have a partner, children, and other sources of income. Rent Assistance The Rent Assistance payment can help with housing costs, even if you're not on a formal rental agreement. You might also be eligible if you're paying accommodation costs: To stay in a caravan park To moor a boat In a retirement village For crisis accommodation For a boarding house Rent Assistance is paid as a regular payment alongside your main payment. To qualify for this support, you must be receiving a payment from us, like JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Special Benefit, ABSTUDY Living Allowance or Parenting Payment. According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data, many of these Services Australia payments were reported as the main source of income for people who were experiencing homelessness. If you're unsure what you may be eligible for, you can use our Payment and Service Finder tool. Crisis Payment Crisis Payment is a one-off payment if you're in financial hardship, experienced an extreme circumstance and get a qualifying payment. There are different types of extreme circumstance. For example, you may be forced to leave your home due to a fire, flood or family and domestic violence. To find out if your situation is eligible, go to the Services Australia Crisis Payment page. Remember, you don't have to go it alone. Visit the Services Australia homelessness page to find support that works for you or someone you care about. Quiet ways Services Australia can help We know financial support is only one piece of the puzzle. That's why Services Australia specialist staff work in and alongside community organisations. Sometimes it's through regular visits to community services where we help people access payments and services. Sometimes, we work in organisations full-time to support people who might need more intensive support. For people experiencing homelessness, staying on payments like JobSeeker can be hard when daily survival takes priority. Missing reporting dates or not having phone or internet access can lead to their payment stopping. That's where our work with community organisations comes in. We can work with individuals to ensure they're getting the right support, not just any support. For example, if someone is dealing with a mental illness, disability or chronic conditions they may be eligible for other payments or support. But without assistance, many never apply, or don't know they can. If you need assistance now, our social workers can also help you with information, support and short-term counselling as well as referrals to other in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Demonstrators march towards Sydney Harbour Bridge to show support for Palestinians in Gaza
Thousands of demonstrators marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday in support of Palestinians. The bridge was closed to traffic for longer than expected after the group changed its route. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Detail on item found washed up on Aussie beach leads to 11,000km mystery: 'It didn't exist'
A long-time volunteer was wandering along a remote beach last weekend when she stumbled upon a strangely familiar item that had washed up on the shore. Colleen Hughson, who refers to herself as a serial beachcomber, was strolling with a 'rookie' on a beach near Codrington, about four hours southwest of Melbourne, when a brown crate sitting on top of the sand caught her eye — and jogged her memory. After giving it a quick wipe with her hand, the Victorian saw the brand 'Albany Bakery' etched on the side of the plastic and assumed it had floated over from the popular Western Australian tourist town bearing the same name. However, it didn't take her long to remember she had discovered the exact same crate broken in pieces on a separate beach three years ago. 'I found a bread crate like that on another beach, and I just assumed it was from Albany,' she told Yahoo News on Friday. Soon after, while holidaying in the area, she decided to track down the local business and let them know. 'It didn't exist,' she said. Following some lengthy online digging, Colleen learned the item actually originated from Cape Town, South Africa. 'The exact crate, exact branding and everything,' she explained. Did the crates travel 11,000km to Australia? While many may assume the crates somehow floated 5,907 nautical miles (10,939km) across the ocean to land on Australia's south coast, it is much more likely the items 'fell off a ship', Colleen said. The second crate looked almost 'brand new', backing up her belief it didn't spend much time in the water. 'We actually do get a lot of international shipping rubbish,' the volunteer, who founded Beach Patrol's regional offshoot in Warrnambool in 2017, said. She explained that the majority of the rubbish the volunteer group finds in the area near Port of Portland is from 'ocean activities' — fishing and shipping debris. Sometimes they even find large garbage bags filled with items and chemical drums with liquid still inside. Concerned by the increase in international shipping debris being collected, Beach Patrol launched a citizen science project called Bottles Overboard about five years ago. '80 per cent of the branded rubbish — not just drink bottles but toilet cleaners, detergent bottles, and food packaging — is foreign labels, not sold in Australia. So that's on our coastline,' Colleen told Yahoo, noting the majority of bottles seem to come from China. And it's not just our shores — beach cleaners around the world are reporting similar items, she added. Speaking to the ABC about the issue in 2023, Southern Cross University marine ecologist Stephen Smith said there has been a noticeable increase in water bottles from overseas being found on beaches since Covid. 🏝️ Sad encounter on empty Aussie beach highlights growing threat 💦 Disturbing find exposes problem taking over Aussie waterways 🚙 Discovery under roadside sign exposes 'frightening' reality of Aussie crisis Beachcomber says more needs to be done to curb coastal litter A study published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in 2022 revealed that local efforts such as organised beach clean-ups have helped reduce Australia's coastal litter by almost 30 per cent in recent years, but Colleen says more needs to be done. The Victorian believes some ships are dumping items in order to avoid paying a hefty rubbish fee once they pull into a port, and lowering that figure could help curb the issue. 'The cost of cleaning that up, and the damage that's going to do now and into the future, that is such a bigger cost than allowing [ships] to bring their rubbish in and get it disposed of properly,' she said. Unlike locals who illegally dump their rubbish on roadsides, there's 'no risk' in the ocean, Colleen added. 'No one can see what you're doing. No one's policing what they're doing,' she said, calling for more help from the Australian Government. 'It's just completely left up to volunteers picking it up, trying to work out where it comes from, trying to stop it at the source — I would love to see a government department or agency with the sole purpose of trying to reduce plastic in the ocean.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
