Tadpole Shrimps Fairy Shrimps and Clam Shrimps and Water Fleas: Branchiopoda

Most fairy shrimps live in temporary rain pools, but some species prefer high mountain lakes, Arctic or Antarctic ponds, or saline lakes. They usually swim in open water and prefer habitats that are free of fish and other predators. Tadpole shrimps live only on the bottom of temporary rain pools, avoiding predation by fish entirely. Clam shrimps also prefer temporary pools and ponds, although some species live in permanent bodies of water covered with thick mats of algae (AL-jee), or plantlike growths that live in water. They are usually found burrowing in mud. Water fleas are sometimes common in lakes, ponds, slow-moving streams, and rivers. A few species are found in the sea. Depending on the species, they are found swimming in open water, on vegetation, or on the bottom. One species lives in water collected on mosses living up in the tree canopy of tropical cloud forests in Puerto Rico.