Triops have outlived the dinosaurs, survived mass extinctions, and are still here today. Discover the extraordinary story of Earth's most resilient creatures.
Discover Triops →Fresh takes on prehistoric creatures, Triops care, and the ancient world.
Marrella splendens is the most common animal of the Burgess Shale, with more than 25,000 specimens collected. Meet the eyeless, spine-crowned arthropod that was not a trilobite.
October 17, 2026
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Isotelus rex reached 72 centimetres and is still the largest complete trilobite ever found. Meet the smooth Ordovician giant that hunted worms under the sand and became Ohio's state fossil.
October 16, 2026
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Kaprosuchus saharicus, the boar crocodile of Cretaceous Niger, carried three sets of tusks no other crocodile ever had. Meet the boar croc and the notosuchians, the crocodiles that walked the land.
October 16, 2026
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Pachycephalosaurus wore a dome of solid bone up to 25 cm thick. Fossil lesions, bone microscopy and a 2025 discovery show whether it really head-butted.
October 16, 2026
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Parasaurolophus carried a hollow tube of bone out of its skull. CT scans and acoustic models show how the duck-billed dinosaur turned it into a deep call.
October 16, 2026
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About 372 million years ago the Late Devonian mass extinction erased Earth's great reefs and most of its marine species. What happened in the Kellwasser and Hangenberg crises, and why the survivors wo
October 14, 2026
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Megaloceros giganteus, the Irish elk, carried antlers four metres wide on a 600 kilogram body. Meet the giant deer that ranged from Ireland to Siberia, and find out what actually made it go extinct.
October 13, 2026
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Ptychodus was a ten metre Cretaceous shark whose mouth was paved with crushing teeth. It ate ammonites and vanished before the asteroid hit.
October 13, 2026
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Deinotherium was an elephant relative whose tusks grew downward from its lower jaw. Learn how it fed, how big it grew and why it disappeared.
October 12, 2026
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Eusthenopteron was a metre-long lobe-finned fish of the Late Devonian whose fins held the same bones as your arm. Meet the fish that foreshadowed the walk onto land.
October 12, 2026
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Named in 1905 from Montana bones, Tyrannosaurus rex has been remade by bone histology, bite measurements and skin impressions. Here is what the fossils actually say.
October 12, 2026
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About 201 million years ago, giant volcanic eruptions wiped out most species. How the end-Triassic extinction handed the planet over to dinosaurs.
October 10, 2026
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Mesosaurus tenuidens was a one-metre Permian reptile whose fossils turned up in Brazil and South Africa. Its bones helped Alfred Wegener prove the continents move.
October 10, 2026
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Allosaurus ruled the Late Jurassic floodplains of North America for millions of years. Meet the lion of the Morrison Formation, its hatchet-like bite, and the scarred hunter called Big Al.
October 09, 2026
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Fossilized dung is one of paleontology's most direct evidence sources. Meet the coprolites that revealed ichthyosaur diets, hyena dens and Victorian fertilizer fortunes.
October 09, 2026
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Diplocaulus was a one-metre Permian amphibian with a boomerang-shaped skull. Meet the lepospondyl whose horns sparked a century of wind tunnel tests and wild hypotheses.
October 09, 2026
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Postosuchus was a five-metre rauisuchid that topped the food chain in the Late Triassic, walked with its legs under its body and hunted Placerias. Meet the crocodile cousin that ruled before the dinos
October 09, 2026
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Priapulid worms were the ambush predators of the Cambrian sea floor, and their burrows mark the very start of the period. Meet Ottoia and its living descendants.
October 09, 2026
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Europe's caves still hold millions of cave bear bones. Meet Ursus spelaeus, the mostly vegetarian giant that hibernated in the dark and vanished 24,000 years ago.
October 05, 2026
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Pteranodon had a toothless beak, a six-meter wingspan and a head crest half as long as its body. Meet the flying reptile that ruled the inland sea over Kansas.
October 05, 2026
Read article →Part crustacean, part time-traveler. Triops are tadpole shrimp whose body plan has barely changed since the Triassic period. Three eyes, a forked tail, and an appetite for survival.
Learn more →Branchiopods in the order Notostraca, Triops cancriformis is the most well-known species. Their unique dorsal carapace and compound eyes set them apart from all other living crustaceans.
Read the science →Fossils of Triops ancestors dating to the Late Triassic look remarkably similar to living specimens, making them one of the best-documented examples of morphological stasis in the fossil record.
See the timeline →From trilobites to Anomalocaris, the ancient seas and shores teemed with life forms that still inspire awe. Meet some of the most fascinating species to ever walk, crawl, or swim on Earth.
Browse the gallery →You can raise your own living fossils at home. Triops kits are popular science education tools, and the creatures are surprisingly easy to care for with the right setup.
Pet care guide →This site is dedicated to sharing knowledge about Triops and prehistoric creatures. Factual, accessible, and built with care.
Meet the team →Here's why these tiny creatures are among the most remarkable survivors in Earth's history:
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Age as a group | ~220 million years |
| Number of eyes | 3 (two compound + one naupliar) |
| Lifespan | 40–90 days |
| Body size | 2–10 cm |
| Diet | Omnivore (algae, detritus, small invertebrates) |
| Habitat | Temporary freshwater pools |
| Egg survival | Viable in dry soil for 20+ years |
Whether you're a student, a hobbyist, or just curious, there's always more to learn about these incredible animals.
Full Triops Guide Creature Gallery