FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
The Kentucky cave shrimp, the same species as the Alabama cave shrimp, is an endangered species of shrimp that are only found in Kentucky and Alabama. This species of cave shrimp is very different from the aquatic shrimp that we see today. Their distribution is restricted to only a specific region. These shrimp live in a cave or what's known as a mammoth cave. They are found in only two caves across the world and that is one of the reasons why their population is threatened.
When we talk about the populations of this species, it's pretty essential to look at the cave systems on which they rely heavily. In the case of the cave shrimp, Palaemonias ganteri, their population is heavily affected by groundwater contamination. According to the U.S fish and wildlife community, the reproduction rate of these cave shrimp has declined significantly due to poor water quality in underground streams.
Pollution and lack of ecological balance and management in their caves is one of the reasons why their population is still in the recovery phase. Despite this situation, there have been plenty of recovery plans and the government of North America has various national and federal level groups dedicated to supporting and bringing back the natural cave environment for the species P ganteri.
To learn more about other amazing animals, make sure to check out our articles on shrimp and mantis shrimp.
The cave shrimp, Palaemonias alabamae, is a species of shrimps that are very different from the other shrimps. These cave shrimp are transparent. They are from crustacean Alabama and they almost have no pigment in their body.
The cave shrimp, Palaemonias alabamae, is from the Malacostraca class of which there are only two species and both of them are endangered. They are also related to the squirrel chimney cave shrimp. Various recovery plans for protecting this species are still under development. They will be designed to heal the cave systems and bring them to better natural and environmental conditions, reducing groundwater contamination.
The Kentucky cave shrimp and Alabama cave shrimp are the only two living species of cave shrimp in the cave system of North America. The correct number of their population is still not known however they are present in very small numbers.
As the name suggests both Kentucky cave shrimp and Alabama cave shrimp live in only these two places. Earlier a lot of these shrimp were present in the cave systems of mammoth caves and caves on the land of madison county. Their habitat is entirely located in the underground streams in the caves of Atlanta.
Are cave shrimp blind? Yes, this is a very well-known fact about these shrimp. Not only are these cave shrimp, Palaemonias alabamae, blind, but they are also very slow. Their natural habitat is in underground streams. This endangered species in the cave system prefers to live in sandy bottoms, where they can find nutritious food, dead pools, and shallow raffles.
The Kentucky cave shrimp is known to be very shy and their designated habitat is known to be at the very bottom of caves. The same can be seen with shrimp in bobcat and mammoth caves. Thus, it can be very difficult to understand their living groups from the surface, nonetheless, they live with hoary bats and tangle web spiders.
The lifespan of both the Kentucky cave shrimp and Alabama cave shrimp is not known. These shrimps feed on organic matter and live very deep in the cave. It's assumed that they have a very long lifespan as they have only three known species, including the squirrel chimney cave shrimp. Thus, it could be said that the Alabama cave shrimp does have a very long lifespan.
The reproduction process of Kentucky cave shrimp has been highly affected due to environmental and groundwater contamination in their caves. This same issue also affected shrimps that lived in the mammoth cave and bobcat caves. The female can lay eggs at any anytime, though most times they lay them during spring. A female Alabama cave shrimp can carry 33 to 40 eggs until they are ready to hatch, which generally happens during late summer or fall. No parental care is provided to newborn hatchlings. A large set of their population has started laying very few eggs due to constant contamination in the cave system that leads to poor water quality.
A lot of plans are under development to help balance ecological and natural aspects of the current day cave system. Due to groundwater contamination in caves such as bobcat and glover, the shrimp population in those caves is also threatened. Nonetheless, this species of Alabama cave shrimp is considered to be an Endangered species, their conservation status is Endangered. A lot of federal and national recovery plans are in place for the management of water quality and underwater pools.
A very distinguishing feature of Alabama cave shrimp is that they are transparent. They do not have any eye development and for that matter, they are almost blind completely. The same can also be said about the squirrel chimney cave shrimp. Their anatomy systems are very different from other shrimp; they have fewer dorsal spines and a shorter rostrum.
The squirrel chimney cave shrimp is extremely adorable and are some of the most adorable species of both land and cave shrimps. Despite their cuteness, they are facing multiple threats due to groundwater contamination and pollution.
They can communicate in their region by making vocal sounds.
An Alabama cave shrimp is almost the same size as a mantis shrimp. They are a little smaller than a red bat.
Cave shrimps are known to be slow runners, mostly they don't move that much at all.
A cave shrimp weighs around 1-2 lb (0.4-0.9 kg).
Both male and female shrimps have the same name.
A baby shrimp is called a clutch or hatchling.
All shrimps residing in caves eat and survive on organic food matter such as Protozoans, insects, and algae.
No, they are not dangerous in any way at all.
Their conservation status is Endangered, thus it's not ideal to bring home such a species that needs protection by the state. They also reside deep down in protecting waters so establishing similar environmental conditions to keep them as a pet would be difficult if not impossible.
These cave shrimps are often preyed upon by cavefish.
Alabama cave shrimp, Kentucky cave shrimp, and squirrel chimney cave shrimp.
They are endangered due to pollution inside the cave system, such as contaminated water.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our peacock mantis shrimp facts and white shrimp facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable cave shrimp coloring pages.
Main image by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters.
Second image by Pavel Kirillov.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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