Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 12, 2005 Since You Asked Table Rock shrimp are real thing I was thinking of walking the Upper Table Rock path and had stopped to read the trail sign before going. It mentioned a species of shrimp found in the mountain’s pools of water. How’d shrimp get in there? — Chris M., Medford Like most weighty questions, it depends on who you ask, Chris. But at the outset you should know we’re not talking about jumbo shrimp here. These are minuscule fellows known as fairy shrimp who live and die in the vernal pools atop the Table Rocks, as well on the Agate Desert below. Uncle Sam has listed them as a threatened species that lives in 30 counties in California, as well as Jackson County. Advertisement The little fellows are translucent, slender crustaceans that swim on their backs. They feed on algae and plankton in the pools that dry up each summer. The species survives from year to year because their eggs, or cysts, are specially adapted to withstand cold, heat and prolonged dry spells. A few years ago one local resident called us to insist that the shrimp were actually sea monkeys which had been purchased at the local "five and dime." He figured the purchasers grew tired of watching them, hiked up on the Table Rocks and dumped them in the pools. Scientists don’t support the sea monkey theory. They explain that the shrimp, which are part of the food chain from frogs to birds, were likely introduced over thousands of years by other animals, according to Jim Keeton, staff administrator for the Bureau of Land Management’s Medford District. "These aren’t recent introductions — it’s been going on a long time," Keeton said, noting there is speculation the shrimp eggs could have been moved by being attached to mud on the hooves of deer or elk. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to Table Rock shrimp are real thing ">[email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s