Pond fairy shrimp swim on their backs by making a current with their appendages. The current of water passes over gills at the base of the front appendages which are the gill legs. If you look closely, you can see two tiny, dark eyes and a swollen gut. A pond may have millions of these animals one year. Then the fairy shrimp may completely disappear in the same pond for a few years.
Females carry egg sacks behind their gill legs.
Eggs are produced all year round. They are produced during winter months under the ice, when the water becomes quite warm in late spring. Another time females produce eggs is just before a drought. To mate, the male grasps the female with claspers that have developed from his second pair of antennae and an outgrowth on his head. If the fairy shrimp stops moving, it sinks to the bottom.