Hi All, It's National Sea-Monkey Day! Sea-monkeys, otherwise known as “brine-shrimp” are small crustaceans that normally live in salt lakes.I wasn't able to come up with an answer to the question "When did National Sea-Monkey Day begin and who founded it?" but I do know that In 1957 Harold Von Braunhut invented the brine-shrimp based product to sell to consumers in the United States after ant farms had proven popularity a year earlier. How did the sea monkey get it's name? Well, these cute underwater creatures have long tails and demonstrate playful, monkey-like behavior!

Whatever happened to sea-monkeys? Can one still purchase them? If a child of today can pull him or herself away from the numerous devices that took the place of fun toys like sea-monkeys, they could purchase a set of sea-monkeys at Amazon.com. I would venture to guess that a trip to Archie McPhees could turn up a pretty sweet colony of the little guys as well!  May 16 is the perfect time to reflect on the fun little critters and maybe even share them with the next generation.

One of the most fascinating characteristics of the sea-monkey is its ability to live for years as an egg before hatching. Sea-monkeys only begin to hatch and grow once you’ve added the proper nutrients to the water environment. Fun Fact: Sea-monkeys have three eyes and breathe through their feet!  To celebrate National Sea-Monkey Day, buy some sea-monkeys of your own and enjoy watching them grow!