Montana Field Guide

The Round Spine Tadpole Shrimp is typically associated with plains, intermountain valley, and high desert environments, but it seems to occupy a wide range of habitats in Montana. It has been found in water bodies ranging from temporary marshes that do not fill every year to seemingly-permanent beaver ponds and in wetted habitats within aspen forests and ponderosa pine forest (Hossack et al. 2011).

Does not migrate, restricted to the habitat it is inhabiting.

It has been found in water bodies ranging from temporary marshes that do not fill every year to seemingly-permanent beaver ponds and in wetted habitats including aspen forests and ponderosa pine forest (Hossack et al. 2011).

Mostly omnivorous or detritivorous feeding on benthic organic materials and living organisms within this material.

Notostracans, or tadpole shrimps, are omnivores living on the bottom of temporary pools and shallow lakes. They live in pools of water on every continent except Antarctica. They grow very quickly, and can reach adulthood in a week and live only a short time; up to 100 days. When their pools dry up, adult tadpole shrimp die. Their eggs, however, stop developing for a time. When they are watered again, they come to life, and new tadpole shrimp are hatched. This is because of a state known as diapause, where eggs can lie dormant for up to twenty years before hatching again.