A tourist spotted a group of “living fossils” that existed on the planet about 550 million years ago, known as “dinosaur shrimp”, as he explored rock formations in Arizona.

And according to what was published by the British “Daily Mail” website, a video clip documented a group of prehistoric shrimp that lived side by side with dinosaurs, in a pool of water in the midst of the rock formations that Arizona is famous for, specifically in an event called “ wave“.

living fossils

Dinosaur shrimp

Adar Leibovich was visiting the rock formation when he saw many strange three-eyed creatures in a pond, and the young man shared the video clip that documented the event on his Instagram page, saying: “The living fossil! These three-eyed creatures have been living on earth for hundreds of millions.” For years, I was confused.. Why is there a pond in the middle of the desert, in which these living creatures exist, how could this be!”.

He added: “Their eggs can be left alone for years, and as soon as the water touches the egg, it is activated and life arises!“.

These organisms are named “Tripos” It is the Greek term for “three eyes”. They are also known as “tadpole shrimp” because of their long, drooping tails, or “shield shrimp”, because of their helmet-like carapace..

These creatures also have two large compound eyes and a small eye, or “simple eye”, in the middle, with photoreceptors that help detect light, according to the British Daily Mail..

Triops are referred to as “dinosaur shrimp” because their outward appearance has not changed much from fossils dating back to the Devonian period, between 419 million and 359 million years ago, or more than 100 million years before dinosaurs walked the earth..

The wave, where the small creatures were found, is a 190-million-year-old formation consisting of sand dunes that have turned into rocks over time..

The dunes are piled on top of each other and hardened by deposits of calcium salts, causing vertical and horizontal layers.