What is Brine shrimp?
{{complex|date=September 2024}} [[File:Artemia salina.jpg|right|240px|thumb|''Artemia salina'']] '''Brine shrimp''' are small [[shrimp]] that live in [[salt water]]. They are the '''''Artemia''''', a [[genus]] of aquatic [[crustacea]] which has changed little (externally) since the [[Triassic]] period.<ref>Coolidge-Stolz M.D.E. et al. 2007. ''Life Science''. Boston: Pearson.</ref> They can often be found in saltwater ponds and [[marsh]]es, and cannot live very long in fresh water. ''Artemia'' avoid most types of [[predator]]s, such as fish, because they live in waters of very high [[salinity]]: (25 parts per thousand). The optimum for ''Artemia'' is 100 to 150 parts per thousand.<ref>Sorgeloos P; P. Dhert & P. Candreva 2001. Use of the brine shrimp, ''Artemia'' spp. in marine fish larviculture. ''Aquaculture'' '''200''': 147–159 [http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/54679.pdf]</ref> The shrimp grow to be about one centimeter long. Females tend to be larger than males. Brine shrimp [[circulatory system|circulatory]] and [[respiratory system]]s work together to remove extra salt from their body and distribute [[oxygen]]. They breathe through gills on their feet. The oxygen taken in is carried through the bloodstream. The heart pumps the blood around the body. Brine shrimp have a protein called [[hemoglobin]] in their blood. This helps the oxygen to be more efficiently transported to cells around the body. They need hemoglobin because oxygen levels can be very low in salty water. Then, the gills pump the excess salt, water, and carbon dioxide out of the body. Additional salt is pumped out through exocrine glands. The brine shrimp's body has a head, thorax, and abdomen. A hard [[exoskeleton]] covers the entire body. Inside this exoskeleton, which is made of [[chitin]], is where the brine shrimp’s muscles are located. Their muscles are attached internally. They move by beating their tails and by the continuous movement of the legs along their body. == Reproduction == Males differ from females by having the