Heavy rains in central Australia have brought to light a mysterious alien looking bug hatching from years of obscurity.
The bug, a remnant of prehistoric time, is a type of crustacean known as a Shield Shrimp, and there is one species in Australia, the Triops australiensis, which is commonly found in the middle of the continent.
The shrimps are well adapted to desert conditions as their eggs will remain dormant for years until there is significant rain, which triggers a population explosion.
The recent heavy rains in the Central Australia region, which led to the temporary closure of Uluru national park and led to flash flooding in the nearby town of Kintore, has created the ideal conditions to see the creatures, the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife said.
"There's a good chance you'll find the shrimp at Redbank Waterhole in Owen Springs Reserve, Palm Valley in Finke Gorge National Park, and at Napwerte / Ewaninga Rock Carvings Conservation Reserve in Central Australia," it said.
Growing up to nine centimetres long, the shrimps belong to a crustacean group called "branchiopods", which literally means that they possess "gill feet": leaf-like, lobed feet, each bearing a gill plate to enable them to breathe.
They look more like an alien tadpole with a double-pronged tail than a crustacean.
"They're not a true shrimp," expert Michael Barritt told ABC Radio Darwin.
"So forget about prawns and that sort of look. They look a bit shrimp-ish but have this big shield across the tip of their bodies."
Females carry their eggs under the body but otherwise the sexes are alike. The eggs are highly resistant to drying out, and they can survive for many years in the desert clay before hatching.
"They want to be able to have their eggs back into the drying surface before the waterhole dries out," Mr Barritt said.