Aussie drivers issued incredible warning as rainfall awakens 'living fossils' underground
Earlier this month, heavy rainfall swept across the country's dusty red centre, bringing much-needed relief to drought-stricken South Australia, and drenching areas of western Queensland that are still recovering from heavy flooding in March.
With more wild weather sweeping the nation this week, one man has reminded travellers passing through the outback to be aware of shield shrimp emerging from the ground. 'Keep an eye out for these in the puddles along the road,' Peter Cole said online alongside a photo of one of the small desert crustaceans in the palm of his hand.
Speaking to Yahoo News, Peter said he had never seen a shield shrimp before he stumbled upon an 'abundance' of the creatures in puddles on a road just north of Tibooburra, a town in the far northwest of NSW, while travelling in 2021.
'We pulled into Tibooburra Pub and showed a few locals the photo, one old bushy who had lived there for 50 years said he had never seen one.'
What are shield shrimp?
Shield Shrimp belong to a group of crustaceans called 'branchiopods', which literally means 'gill feet', Dr Marissa McNamara, Collection Manager of Crustacea at Queensland Museum, told Yahoo.
The creatures, which are widespread across inland Australia, have leaf-life, lobed feet, each bearing a gill plate that allows them to breathe, she explained, adding their shield protects the head and frontal portion of their multi-segmented bodies.
'Females carry their eggs under the body; these are highly resistant to drying out, and they can survive for many years in the desert clay before hatching,' Dr McNamara said.
'The eggs need water to hatch — the larvae then grow into adults and lay their own eggs very quickly, before the water dries up. The eggs can remain viable for at least several years, and perhaps more (definitive data on the maximum timespan is unavailable).'
They are sometimes referred to as 'living fossils'. 'Specimens today look similar to shield shrimp that lived over 300 million years ago. They also live in the desert, which is an unusual habitat for crustaceans,' Dr McNamara told Yahoo.
Only one species is currently recognised in Australia — Triops australiensis — however recent research has found evidence that there may be at least 17 more species in this genus.
🐦 The 'rule' Aussies must follow if they see one of world's rarest creatures
✈️ Aussie pilot captures extraordinary moment during record-breaking event
🚙 Travelling Aussie couple's incredibly special find next to outback track
Thrilled Aussies share their own shield shrimp sightings
Numerous thrilled Aussies have inundated Peter's post with stories of their own sightings, including one man who claimed he once found shield shrimp in puddles on top of Uluru. Others said the crustaceans 'fascinated' them as a child.
Several people also shared photos and pictures of their own encounters in recent years. 'I saw one of these in a 'dry lake' that had filled with rain last winter in the Goldfields! I thought it was some kind of unusual tadpole and tried searching for it,' one woman wrote.
'I used to live in outback NSW and after every rain we would find them in the puddles,' someone else said.
'Yeah, I've seen them up near Cockburn after a massive rain, they freaked me out, weird looking things,' a third person added.
With the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook predicting above-average rainfall west of the Great Dividing Range over the next few months, many more may still have a chance to catch a glimpse of a shield shrimp — but they should refrain from touching it.
'It's best to leave shield shrimp undisturbed, especially given evidence that there are many unique species with restricted distributions, rather than one widespread Australian species,' Dr McNamara said.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dad Reveals He Spoke with Sailor Son Hours Before He Disappeared from USS George Washington
"It was a great conversation," Jose Rivera III recounted of the call with his sonNEED TO KNOW The father of the Navy sailor who went missing on July 28 during a training exercise is speaking out for the first time Jose Rivera III, the father of Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Launch/Recovery Equipment) Airman Jose Antonio Rivera Lynch IV, said that he had spoken to his son 12 hours before he fell overboard "It was a great conversation. We always ended up saying, 'we're so proud of you, you have been like none of the Riveras have ever been, look at you,' " Rivera recountedThe father of the Navy sailor who went missing during a training exercise on July 28, while onboard the USS George Washington in the ocean north of Australia, is speaking out for the first time. On Wednesday, July 30, USS George Washington spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Mark Langford told PEOPLE that the search for the missing sailor — identified as Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Launch/Recovery Equipment) Airman Jose Antonio Rivera Lynch IV, per a release — had been suspended. The sailor's father, Jose Rivera III, spoke to local Virginia news outlet WVEC-TV on Friday, Aug. 1, about his son's passion for his role in the U.S. Navy — and shared that he had spoken with his son just 12 hours before he went missing. "It was a great conversation. We always ended up saying, 'we're so proud of you, you have been like none of the Riveras have ever been, look at you,' " Rivera said of the sailor. According to the Navy sailor's father, Rivera Lynch is being remembered as a "likeable, very humble" man who had just enlisted in the Navy in June 2024 and first reported to USS George Washington in January. "He was a person that, whenever you met him for the first time, you met somebody that was so likeable, very humble, very helpful," his father told the outlet. "No matter where I went with him, people just loved being around him." The Navy first announced that they had responded to reports of 'a possible sailor overboard' in the Timor Sea, in a Monday, July 28 press release. The aircraft carrier is currently operating in the Timor Sea as part of the multinational Talisman Sabre 25 exercise organized by Australia and the U.S., per USNI News. The release confirmed that the search for the missing sailor involved a number of Navy helicopters and vessels, as well as assistance from Australian Defence Force crews. The George Washington was carrying out its first patrol since returning to Japan in November 2024 when Rivera Lynch went missing. "After more than 45 hours of continuous search and rescue efforts covering roughly 2,200 square miles, the U.S. Navy and Australian Defence and Australian Border Forces suspended search efforts in the Timor Sea on July 30," the release stated. Rivera Lynch's father told WVCE-TV that he's grateful for the military's efforts in trying finding his son. "I'll forever be grateful that they did their due diligence in searching for him. They will cover every wave and every rock, and they couldn't recover him, but the effort was there, and I commend them for that," Rivera said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Rivera Lynch's father confirmed to the outlet that a memorial service is scheduled for Saturday in his Florida hometown. He is asking that the local community respect Navy procedures amid the service and remember his son as a caring, passionate man. "They say when you lose a parent, you're an orphan," Rivera said, holding up a picture of his son. "When you lose a spouse, you're a widow. But when you lose a son, there are no words for that... It's going to be step-by-step, but now he lives in me, and I will carry on his legacy until my final days." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Aussie drivers issued incredible warning as rainfall awakens 'living fossils' underground
Aussies have been urged to be careful when driving through the country's outback amid concerns recent wet weather has awoken an unusual creature hiding deep underground. Earlier this month, heavy rainfall swept across the country's dusty red centre, bringing much-needed relief to drought-stricken South Australia, and drenching areas of western Queensland that are still recovering from heavy flooding in March. With more wild weather sweeping the nation this week, one man has reminded travellers passing through the outback to be aware of shield shrimp emerging from the ground. 'Keep an eye out for these in the puddles along the road,' Peter Cole said online alongside a photo of one of the small desert crustaceans in the palm of his hand. Speaking to Yahoo News, Peter said he had never seen a shield shrimp before he stumbled upon an 'abundance' of the creatures in puddles on a road just north of Tibooburra, a town in the far northwest of NSW, while travelling in 2021. 'We pulled into Tibooburra Pub and showed a few locals the photo, one old bushy who had lived there for 50 years said he had never seen one.' What are shield shrimp? Shield Shrimp belong to a group of crustaceans called 'branchiopods', which literally means 'gill feet', Dr Marissa McNamara, Collection Manager of Crustacea at Queensland Museum, told Yahoo. The creatures, which are widespread across inland Australia, have leaf-life, lobed feet, each bearing a gill plate that allows them to breathe, she explained, adding their shield protects the head and frontal portion of their multi-segmented bodies. 'Females carry their eggs under the body; these are highly resistant to drying out, and they can survive for many years in the desert clay before hatching,' Dr McNamara said. 'The eggs need water to hatch — the larvae then grow into adults and lay their own eggs very quickly, before the water dries up. The eggs can remain viable for at least several years, and perhaps more (definitive data on the maximum timespan is unavailable).' They are sometimes referred to as 'living fossils'. 'Specimens today look similar to shield shrimp that lived over 300 million years ago. They also live in the desert, which is an unusual habitat for crustaceans,' Dr McNamara told Yahoo. Only one species is currently recognised in Australia — Triops australiensis — however recent research has found evidence that there may be at least 17 more species in this genus. 🐦 The 'rule' Aussies must follow if they see one of world's rarest creatures ✈️ Aussie pilot captures extraordinary moment during record-breaking event 🚙 Travelling Aussie couple's incredibly special find next to outback track Thrilled Aussies share their own shield shrimp sightings Numerous thrilled Aussies have inundated Peter's post with stories of their own sightings, including one man who claimed he once found shield shrimp in puddles on top of Uluru. Others said the crustaceans 'fascinated' them as a child. Several people also shared photos and pictures of their own encounters in recent years. 'I saw one of these in a 'dry lake' that had filled with rain last winter in the Goldfields! I thought it was some kind of unusual tadpole and tried searching for it,' one woman wrote. 'I used to live in outback NSW and after every rain we would find them in the puddles,' someone else said. 'Yeah, I've seen them up near Cockburn after a massive rain, they freaked me out, weird looking things,' a third person added. With the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook predicting above-average rainfall west of the Great Dividing Range over the next few months, many more may still have a chance to catch a glimpse of a shield shrimp — but they should refrain from touching it. 'It's best to leave shield shrimp undisturbed, especially given evidence that there are many unique species with restricted distributions, rather than one widespread Australian species,' Dr McNamara said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Resident stumped over new bin as FOGO rollout ramps up before council deadline
Councils across the country are ramping up distribution of food and garden organics (FOGO) bins, but Australians are still divided by the rollout — with one resident telling Yahoo News she was a bit bemused when a small bin "just turned up at my door one day". Ivy Boulton, who resides in Branxton in the NSW Hunter Valley said she received "no warning" when a countertop FOGO bin arrived at her door in June. Despite saying she'll do her best to incorporate the new bin into her waste disposal routine, she's not too sure if others will follow suit. "It's just an extra step in what they already have in their routine with the red and the yellow bins... People are lazy," she told Yahoo. "I think if everyone uses it, it might be enough to make a difference, but for as long as people are refusing to use it, I don't know how much of a difference it's going to make." ♻️ Push to change FOGO bin mandate in race against time in 'landfill crisis' 👀 Man called out for little-known rubbish bin mistake most of us make 😒 Residents push back against 'dumb' bin announcement Australians divided over FOGO push After Ivy spoke about the incident online, many Australians said they were reluctant to use it, with some accusing their council of not giving them enough information before the rollout occurred. Cessnock City Council, responsible for the rollout where Ivy lives, did not respond when contacted by Yahoo about the ongoing rollout. "Worst idea they ever had," one woman said. "I'm all for recycling and separating rubbish... [but] with a bigger family our general waste bin only gets picked up every fortnight, and it's not enough for us, and [we] have more rubbish lying around smelling." Ivy told Yahoo News some have admitted to her they use their countertop FOGO bin as a "door stopper", while another woman online confessed, "I didn't even know this was becoming a thing!". However other Aussies in the state say they are all for the new FOGO system. "[Mine] goes under my sink. FOGO is brilliant... our red bin waste dropped dramatically. FOGO is good, use it," one said, while another claimed, "I like mine". Ivy has been using her FOGO since it was delivered, but explained her household green waste "barely even covers the bottom of the bin". "I have been using it since I got it but it's taking some getting used to, and I need to make sure to empty it regularly because it does smell," she said. New South Wales pledges FOGO mandate by 2030 Cessnock City Council, alongside neighbouring Maitland City Council and Singleton Council, launched a FOGO collection across the Hunter Region at the end of June, with authorities aiming to meet the state government's pledge of mandating FOGO collection by 2030. "FOGO is a game changer. We're proud to be delivering it across Cessnock, Maitland and Singleton and giving our communities a real opportunity to lead the way in reducing landfill and turning waste into something worthwhile," Cessnock Mayor Dan Watton said. "FOGO will have significant long-term benefits for our environment, economy and community." The state mandate means food scraps and garden waste will be collected separately from regular household waste, and sent to composting. The NSW government is aiming to halve the amount of organic waste ending up in landfill by 2030. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
