BETTER WEAR YOUR SHOES TO SANO!

Biologist Discovers Rare Fairy Shrimp

SAN ONOFRE, Ca. (Reuters) -- A State Park biologist has documented a new species of fairy shrimp in california, one of only four species among hundreds that are longer than one inch (2.54 cm) and eat their relatives, officials said on Wednesday.

Dr. B. Kook a biologist with the California State Parks, said the new species most closely resembled "a feathery preying mantis with an attitude." Unlike the vast majority of fairy shrimp, the new species is armed with spines and ready to rumble with its smaller counterparts, said Kook, adding, "This guy is a carnivore, grabbing onto little guys and eating them."

The 3-inch (7.6-cm), flesh-colored crustacean can lie dormant for years, even decades, in egg form, emerging only when infrequent rains and runoff fill the beaches potholes of San Onofre Surf Beach. Then it goes amok, eating, mating and laying eggs before another dry spell descends. In lean times, the mega-sized fairy shrimp -- which sports hooked arms, a forked tail and turquoise-colored reproductive organs -- clamps its fairy shrimp cousins to its abdomen to store for future dining.

"It's a very cool critter," said Kook!