Triops also have abdominal legs that help move food up to their mouths. The Triops has a hard shell called a carapace that protects it from predators. A Triops has three eyes, but two of the eyes are compound eyes and one is just a simple eye. These eyes are on top of the carapace. Triops have a mouth on their stomach.
Rain helps the cysts hatch and begin to grow.
Triops eat microscopic algae. Triops live 1-2 months. Female Triops may lay thousands of cysts during her life cycle. Some of the cysts might hatch during her life span. The rest will hatch 2 or 3 years later after the pond dries up then gets refilled with water.