TEHRAN —Triops cancriformis, or tadpole shrimp, was sighted at Hamoun wetland in southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan after two decades of drought in the area, the provincial department of environment chief has said.  

Subsequent to recent rainfalls in Iran as well as Afghanistan the wetland which suffered prolonged drought is once again covered with water and restored many animal and plant species in the area, ISNA news agency quoted Vahid Pourmardan as saying on Saturday.  

Tadpole shrimp is found in Europe, the Middle East and India. It is considered to be one of the oldest living species on the planet at around 200 million years old. Fossils of this species from the Upper Triassic (Norian) period appear virtually unchanged compared to modern day members of the species, that why tadpole shrimp is considered a living fossil because its basic prehistoric morphology has changed little, exactly matching their ancient fossils.

Due to habitat destruction, many populations have recently been lost across its European range, so, the species is considered endangered in the United Kingdom and in several European countries.

MQ/MG