Artemia strains inhabit approximately 500 natural saline lakes

Artemia strains inhabit approximately 500 natural saline lakes as well as man-made salterns found across the tropical, temperate climates and subtropical regions of the world. However, the brine shrimp population is not continuous since not all salty biotopes are inhabited. Their physiological adaptation to highly salty waters for survival hinders their migration from one biotope to another through the sea. The “sea monkey” possesses a proper osmoregulatory system which allows it to synthesize respiratory pigments to cope with compromised O_2 levels of elevated salinity; and the capacity to develop dormant cysts at extreme salinity. Therefore, Artemia inhabits waters with salinity hostile to its predators (70 g.l^-1). However, the brine shrimp cannot survive in waters near and above 250 g.l^-1 salinity