The Riverside Fairy Shrimp is a critically endangered invertebrate species, with a conservation designation of 5C, where 1 is the most endagnered and 18 the least (U.S. Fish & Wildlife, 2008). Its scientific name is Streptocephalus woottoni. Part of the reason for its endangerment is habitat loss. The Riverside Fairy Shrimp is indigenous to five locations in Riverside and San Diego Counties in California and two localities in northern Baja California all of which are experiencing high degrees of industrialization and commerical development.
The Riverside Fairy Shrimp lives in intermittent pools of water about 1 foot deep. The shrimp will lay eggs that can stay dormant during dry times and then hatch when rains fall and the pools redevelop in the wInter between January and March (Wikipedia).
In 2005 the United States marines at Pendleton and Miramar destroyed 96% of the Riverside Fairy Shrimp’s habitat. In 2009, they were granted 1,724 acres of wetlands, a mere fraction of their past habitat but better than the 2005 acreage (Center for Biological Diversity).
