How did this pool fill?
Water from some heavy monsoon rains had flowed along the undulating slickrock recently, just like it has for millions of years, finding its way into a deep pocket and filling it with silt, minerals and all the organic material it had collected along the way. The slightly cloudy water gave it a unique color quality and that’s what caught my attention.
Approaching the pool I was alarmed to see some unknown creatures swimming about it. I didn’t know if they were animals, insects or aliens. I was trapped between curiosity and repulsion, so I apologize for the lack of focus.
They swam about seemingly with no regard to up or down, a few dozen EYELESS monsters in a pool above Lake Powell.
I scooped one up in my sandal to take a picture before running back to the boat in horror.
It was about 6 months later at the Toroweap (Tuweep) point of the Grand Canyon I encountered a posting at the entrance from the Park Service that had a picture of these creatures as dried up, lifeless examples of prehistoric life that can be found in the area. Not much more information was available and no names were given.
It was about 5 years later, with access to the Internet, that I remembered these creatures on Lake Powell and did some googling. Turns out that they are likely Cephalocarida, prehistoric crustaceans that can lay dormant in mud for decades waiting for rain. They’re some of the oldest known species on Earth!
