This genus is found on something like six continents, and species cannot be determined unless you manually uncoil their little claspers with a sewing pin or something. Unfortunately your standard inat photo of one is about as good as taking a picture of the sidewalk and calling it "ants"

I don't participate in inaturalist as much as I probably should - partially because my phone storage is always nearly full, and partially because I don't have the attention span to go back and post online when I'm already collecting and processing the things, but this is probably a new county record

yeah if you don't make any sudden moves you can gently pick them up. I set up a tupperware with water and soil because some of the other shrimp in this pond were not adults yet, so I grow them out until I can ID them to species.

Maybe 2 cm long? This one is on the small side

Streptocephalus from a roadside ditch in San Patricio County. creature of the utmost politeness

Probably way more than we even know about! There are very few photos or specimens historically compared to a lot of other animals. Their color seems based on both diet and conditions of the pond

I can only stay in Dry Texas for a certain number of turns or I take poison damage

A few days ago I bought some local cajun snacks in Wet Texas but now I've been in Dry Texas for so long that my lips are chapped and it hurts to eat them

Yes, though so far it looks like common ones. Where I am now is basically equal latitude to Tampa, so probably the same set of species

do the trumpers somehow not get annoyed when some chucklehead in body armor asks to see inside their car every time they want to go to the beach or something

they should have asked if the bike was imported

For the record, the regular citizenry of Texas have been nothing but lovely and I've already had several great conversations explaining what I am doing (shrimping) and why to strangers. Human beings are generally good

the sinister and evil contents of my trunk that I was desperately trying to hide. America is safe once again

I also think I would also have to go through the checkpoint again if I wanted to go to the salt lakes, so I guess I'm not doing that either. There go all my cool plans.

(also I'm white, but it's possible they'd just never seen a jew before and got scared)

This was like 50-60 miles from the border. I've never even seen the border. I have to assume the point is perpetuating misery.

In order to go to the shrimp pond, I would have had to pass through the checkpoint a second time and thus alert the suspicion of the whole nazi gauntlet all over again. So, nevermind! No science for me here.

The lady got even more upset because I cannot automatically unlock my trunk from the driver's seat (for her to make sure there are no immigrants in there I guess?). She then tried to get me to give her my car keys and pull out of line so she could then drive my car through the x-ray. I said no.

I went to the type locality for the Hidalgo County Fairy Shrimp and saw some good ponds on the southbound side, so I was heading north to turn around at a rest stop. Apparently there's a mandatory fascist checkpoint on the northbound, and the border patrol ghouls freaked out because I had... a tarp.

So what you're saying re: Texas is the human settlements are all horrible, but once you get out of their debuff range it's an endless shrimp utopia in every direction? Yeah, I know that one

What do I even do? Like, tell the receptionist? Intervening can make it worse for the kids because the parents get angry

"If I hear anything from either of you, it's three more." what the fuck? what the fuck

I held the elevator door open for a family and the father had 100% just beaten the kids and then threatened to beat them even more if they talked back for the next week. Just openly expressed these things in front of a stranger

It's so different from the Florida aquifer water...I feel like I still have soap on me

a few people mentioned the tap water in Texas being gross and slimy, and you were completely correct, but WHY

I grew up in a marshy area of FL and it was foolish to build too much of anything because inevitably the earth would just eat buildings beyond a certain size and height. It was nice

I drove past Houston a few hours ago but the city never actually stopped, it just transitioned into several other cities. I don't like it. When do I get to the nothing

omg...red peanuts still exist though!! you could just buy them instead and skip the Red Lake 40

no but it's literally like if you baked-beans-ed a peanut

It's called a peanut pattie, it's like peanut brittle but with fewer steps. I don't know why they're pink tho