Trilobites?.......

[Ludwig Venter]

Some time ago, we had rain floods, and a water pan was created about 7kilometers long by 3 kilometers wide and on average, about 5m deep..... In this dam, we found trillions of weird looking "things", which was later identified as "Trilobites"... (through a local TV channel request)

I caught hundreds of these live, and put them in a tank, but they (being more than 3" in size) were immediately attacked by even the little fish (such as neon tetras) and the like.... (so I assume they must be an excellent food source)

We learnt later that their eggs remain dormant untill exposed to water & then they hatch within 24 hours.... anybody out there seen these before??

 

[Truck]

a bit like triops, a little gimicky toy for kids...

 

[Ludwig Venter]

a bit like triops, a little gimicky toy for kids...

Uhm...... Don't think so.... I'll try Google them & post some pics.....

 

[Truck]

a bit like triops, a little gimicky toy for kids...

Uhm...... Don't think so.... I'll try Google them & post some pics.....

i know they reproduce in the same way, but doesnt =a trilobite look a bit like a wood louse?

 

[Ludwig Venter]

a bit like triops, a little gimicky toy for kids...

Uhm...... Don't think so.... I'll try Google them & post some pics.....

i know they reproduce in the same way, but doesnt =a trilobite look a bit like a wood louse?

Yea... You are right... They are weird!!!

 

[Ficious]

wow i didnt know trilobites still existed. thats interesting

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Now this is once again, where the blond in me comes forth...... I have googled them, and there are lots of pics..... I copy them, & then I cannot post them... anyone who knows how to do that,.... please assist & get us a pic of a Trilobite on this thread, so that we all know what we're talking about.....

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Now this is once again, where the blond in me comes forth...... I have googled them, and there are lots of pics..... I copy them, & then I cannot post them... anyone who knows how to do that,.... please assist & get us a pic of a Trilobite on this thread, so that we all know what we're talking about.....

Ha!!!!... I figured it out..... This is a Trilobite, and on all accounts, it is called PREHISTORIC.....I had a few in my tanks, but they do not last for long....

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Trilobites are extinct, LV.

I'm guessing that you saw a species of triops.

Or possibly something similar to asellus?

 

[three-fingers]

They will be triops .

They often get called trilobites, because they look similar and are quite unusual.


Ludwig - Do you have any pictures of the ones you caught?

And this may sound weird, and asking a bit much - but if I was to pay you postage and some extra, do you think you would be able to collect some eggs for me and send them to me? They lay dormant eggs in the dirt that can lay dormant for decades (just like brine shrimp) waiting for floods, if you could find the area you found them living in, and collect a decent sample of dirt from the area you saw the most, there's likely to be eggs in there and I'd love to try raise an African species.

The South African species is Triops granarius which is restricted to where you live (photo from mytriops.com):

Also in Africa is Triops numidicus which is debated to be the same species:

I've only raised the European T.cancriformis, American T.longicaudatus and Australian T.australiensis, which you can all buy easily ff the internet.

You can see my triops here : [URL="http/www.flickr.com/search/?q=triops&w=12568296%40N06"]http/www.flickr.com/search/?q=triops&w=12568296%40N06[/URL].

There are some new species available too, but the African species are rare to be able to buy.

 

[keithp]

In this dam, we found trillions of weird looking "things", which was later identified as "Trilobites"... (through a local TV channel request)

There's your problem. I dont care where you live, people on tv will beef anything up to make viewers watch, even if the information is not 100% true. They probably said trilobites so people will watch because most people know trilobites are not around anymore.

If the tv people said "we found bigfoots body and have pictures" but saying this have not yet investigated further, chances are it was a really good hoax someone played and a week later you find out it was all fake pictures.

 

[three-fingers]

If it makes it any more exiting, triops are prehistoric, T.cancriformis is the oldest animal on the planet, it's been around for 220 million years - that's before the dinosaurs.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

They will be triops .

They often get called trilobites, because they look similar and are quite unusual.


Ludwig - Do you have any pictures of the ones you caught?

And this may sound weird, and asking a bit much - but if I was to pay you postage and some extra, do you think you would be able to collect some eggs for me and send them to me? They lay dormant eggs in the dirt that can lay dormant for decades (just like brine shrimp) waiting for floods, if you could find the area you found them living in, and collect a decent sample of dirt from the area you saw the most, there's likely to be eggs in there and I'd love to try raise an African species.

The South African species is Triops granarius which is restricted to where you live (photo from mytriops.com):

Also in Africa is Triops numidicus which is debated to be the same species:

I've only raised the European T.cancriformis, American T.longicaudatus and Australian T.australiensis, which you can all buy easily ff the internet.

You can see my triops here : <a href="http/www.flickr.com/search/?q=triops&w=12568296%40N06" target="_blank">http/www.flickr.com/search/?q=triops&w=12568296%40N06</a>.

There are some new species available too, but the African species are rare to be able to buy.

Yes3 fingers.... this is what it was (as in your pics - numidicus)... now you've all gone & spoilt a exciting theory with facts but you are correct... Thanks also TylerFerretlord for pointing it out... but they are real weird looking creatures and propels by rowing with all those legs....

 

[Ludwig Venter]

I forgot to add, that together with them, we also found millions of whitish coloured "see-through" shrimps about 3 inches long.... I actually collected buckets full and put them through a mill for freezing.... The fish enjoyed this, and their nutrition value had me at the peak of my fish breeding days while it lasted.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

I have subsequently moved away some 800km's from this area and there had been no floods in that area since that time.

My son however still stays within about 20km from the site... Do you think if I asked him to collect a bucket of sand for me from the dry banks of that "dam", & I place it in water, that I might hatch a few of these (prehistoric) triops and the see-through shrimps... If so, what do I feed, at what temperature and with how much aeration??... I am now keen to do this, if I know it'll work.