Because von Brauhaut wanted kids’ wonder of marine science to extend past the Sea-Monekys’ initial birth, he and D’Angostino crossbred species within the Artemia genus to create a longer-lived species, dubbed Artemia NYOS after the New York Ocean Science lab where they were created.Īdvertisements and packaging for the Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys portrayed the shrimp as strange, nude humanoid creatures with webbed hands and feet, pot bellies, and three appendages protruding from their heads to resemble a crown.
These packets are added at separate times within 24-36 hours, shortly after which the brine shrimp begin to reanimate. If the shrimp is expected to reanimate and live for any period of time, this water must be nutrient-rich.Įach Sea-Monkeys kit comes with packets of water additives containing salt, water conditioner, eggs, yeast, borax, soda, shrimp eggs, and sometimes a dye to make them more visible. The salt forms a casing around the shrimp, which can only be released by the addition of water. This means that all metabolic functions cease until conditions return to normal, and it can occur with some species in the case of freezing, oxygen deficiency, and extreme dehydration. These shrimp reside in salt flats and salt lakes, entering a state of cryptobiosis when the water of the lake evaporates. The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys are the invention of Harold von Braunhut, who came up with the concept after seeing the species of brine shrimp involved in his invention, Artemia salina, sold as food in a pet store. They were hugely successful between their inception in 1957 through the end of the 20th century, enough so that someone created National Sea-Monkey Day! People of a certain age will remember a popular fad in the 1970s that brought an ordinary, but little-known aquatic creature into millions of homes across the globe: the Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys.