At the Natural History Museum one day, we purchased a "grow your own triops" kit. For those unsure about where triops land on the species map, they are an omnivorous crustacean similar to a horseshoe crab. They live in water all around the world and, because of their hardy eggs, have existed since dinosaur times.
We bought the kit. We read. We prepared the water. We put the eggs in. We watched the teeny tiny hatchlings. We fed them. We took water temperature measurements and noted the size of the animals doubling almost every day. Six hatched. One mysteriously dissappeared one day. Maiya thought it had left the aquarium. Doubtful. Remember the "omnivorous" part of the description? A few days ago, four of them died overnight -- possibly due to overcrowding now that they are larger in a small aquarium, possibly due to water issues or perhaps just the end of their life spans. They live 20-90 days apparently.
We have one triop left. MeiLin named her Dot and declared we will have a celebration party for her when she dies. Since then, she has been making little paper signs and placing them around the kitchen: "We love you Dot", "This triop is special for being the last one who died", "You are a special triop" and today's addition, "We hope you live".
Embrace life. Celebrate it. Be prepared for death. Lessons from a child.
2 comments:
Hang in there Dot!
Well, at least Dot has room to grow now and have some "alone time", and of course, she gets more attention and love being the last of the Mohicans.
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