Piece image
Image by: Cathryn Hoyt 

Triops

Series: Nature Notes
From: Marfa Public Radio
Length: 00:00:59

These tiny crustaceans come to life for just a short while during our rainy season, but their eggs can wait decades to hatch and ride the wind for hundreds of miles. Read the full description.
Playing
Triops
From
Marfa Public Radio

Triops-2010-9-3-img_5156_small Around this time of year, summer’s showers and stormy theatrics might have made you forget you’re in the Chihuahuan Desert. But soon our rainy season will wrap up its act, reminding us how fleeting it really is. For a triops, life is as fleeting as our summer rains. These thumb-sized creatures can be found in ephemeral rain-filled pools in deserts around the world. When their homes dry up, triops die. But during the few months they’re alive, they leave eggs that can ride the wind for hundreds of miles and wait decades to hatch when future rains fall. Who are these unusual animals? And how do they thrive in such precarious and harsh environments?

To hear the full audio, sign up for a free PRX account or log in.

Also in the Nature Notes series

Piece image

Burrowing Owls (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

Not all owls hunt at night and nest in trees. Burrowing owls greet the sun from abandoned prairie dog dens. What else makes these tiny birds unique?
Piece image

Big Bend Gambusia (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

Big Bend National Park is home to many rare and endangered species, but the Big Bend gambusia lives particularly close to the edge of extinction. How has this fish hung on to ...
Piece image

Nighthawks (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

Some birds sing. Others twitter, tweet or trill. But the common nighthawk goes boom in the night. This noise isn’t all that sets nighthawks apart in the avian world. What ...
Piece image

Learning to Sing (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

Learning to vocalize is a surprisingly unusual ability in the animal world. How do young songbirds master their musical talents?
Piece image

Our Might Oaks (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

The 21 oak species in our region assume many forms and are survivors of the last Ice Age. Who are these tenacious trees? And what animals depend on them today?
Caption: Harvester ants carry food several times their size., Credit: Cathryn Hoyt

Harvester Ants (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

You’ve seen their sprawling, barren mounds, like little moonscapes in your field or lawn. But what lies beneath harvester ants’ conspicuous mounds?
Piece image

Spadefoot Desert Chorale (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

Summer storms send many desert frogs and toads into a raucous reproductive frenzy. What role do their choruses play in their hasty courtship?
Caption: Cenizo puts on a show during the desert's rainy season., Credit: Cathryn Hoyt

The Fifth Season (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

In the Chihuahuan Desert, we spend fall, winter, spring and summer talking about our fifth season—the rainy season. What does its arrival mean for our plant and animal neighbors?
Piece image

Attracting Pollinators (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

Animals and insects aren’t being altruistic when they pollinate a plant. So how do plants attract and reward them for their services?
Caption: Testudinella patina, Credit: T. Schröder, R.L. Wallace, E. Walsh

Rotifer Diversity (00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio

Every pristine spring, mucky cattle tank, and rain-filled hueco in the Chihuahuan Desert is home to an exceptionally diverse array of microscopic animals. Who are these creatures?

Piece Description

Around this time of year, summer’s showers and stormy theatrics might have made you forget you’re in the Chihuahuan Desert. But soon our rainy season will wrap up its act, reminding us how fleeting it really is. For a triops, life is as fleeting as our summer rains. These thumb-sized creatures can be found in ephemeral rain-filled pools in deserts around the world. When their homes dry up, triops die. But during the few months they’re alive, they leave eggs that can ride the wind for hundreds of miles and wait decades to hatch when future rains fall. Who are these unusual animals? And how do they thrive in such precarious and harsh environments?

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
Big Sky (Reprise) Dan Gibson, Bill Brennan, Rob Piltch Country Retreat. Solitudes 2000 00:00

Additional Credits

Host Dallas Baxter. Written by Megan Wilde.

Related Website

http://www.marfapublicradio.org/nature-notes/triops/