Apparently, their brains are just a little ring of cells that release amino acids and maybe have something to do with metabolism. The nervous system actually controls most things.
I don't know how they know to do this. Not even just instinct. But if a shrimp dies and eggs were already fertilized, they finish developing. I have seen babies coming up from the graveyard.
@weirdfizz This is totally fascinating!
@stueytheround Life is a highly complex science experiment for me. 😄 My elementary school teachers would be so proud.
@weirdfizz I said a few days ago that I had one remaining shrimp in my tank.
Well, now there are 3. One big one, and two that got big enough for me to notice them.
@NoahPaulLeGies The babies are so tiny! Easy to miss until you've suddenly got more shrimp.
@weirdfizz I suddenly got more shrimp. 😲 I didn't add extra eggs or anything. I just had one, then three, then five or six, now I can't even count them all.
@NoahPaulLeGies That's great! I'd bet you had some eggs sitting at the bottom that finally hatched.
They've also been moving little clumps of algae into the castle. That could be a coincidental thing - just drops in there and doesn't get flushed back out. But it means algae growth is picking up, which is healthy for them.