Description

Weichangops triangularis
Early Cretaceous (Berriasian)
Yixian Formation
Huangbangi Valley, Beipiao, Liaoning Province, China

Very fine 53mm notostracan on 93mm slab. Lots of soft anatomy is preserved.

Someone said this is what a “sea monkey” is and it’s not that far from the truth. Sea monkeys are actually a kind of brine shrimp. Weichangops belongs to a different order of crustaceans, the Notostraca, which includes the tadpole shrimp still living today. Take a look at this short video produced by the National Park Service about the living species called Triops: