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fairy shrimp

noun

: any of several very small translucent freshwater branchiopod crustaceans (order Anostraca)

Examples of fairy shrimp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ask a park staff member about Enchanted Rocks’ fairy shrimp, which live in vernal pools on the rock, swim upside down, and somehow survive dry season. Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 15 Nov. 2025 Together, their ethereal and ephemeral nature earns them the name fairy shrimp, according to experts. Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 28 July 2025 The order alleged that sensitive vernal pools and its fairy shrimp were disrupted on the Habib property during development of the ALDI grocery store. Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2025 The latest blow – and possibly the reason the area has seen such drastic erosion in recent months – is believed to have come from a fairy shrimp vernal pool habitat that sits above on the cliff. Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Each year when the snowmelt floods onto the Black Rock, tiny communities of macroinvertebrates like fairy shrimp and brine fleas come to life. Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 8 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fairy shrimp was in 1857

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Cite this Entry

“Fairy shrimp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairy%20shrimp. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

fairy shrimp

noun
: any of several very small translucent freshwater crustaceans

More from Merriam-Webster on fairy shrimp

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