Sea-Monkeys
| Other names | Instant Life |
|---|---|
| Type | Novelty aquarium pet |
| Inventor(s) | Harold von Braunhut |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1962–present |
| Slogan | The World's Only Instant Pets! |
Sea-Monkeys is a marketing term used to refer to brine shrimp (Artemia) that are sold as novelty aquarium pets. Developed in the United States in 1957[1] by Harold von Braunhut, they are sold as eggs intended to be added to water, and almost always come bundled in a kit of three pouches and instructions. Sometimes a small tank and additional pouches may also be included with the product. The product was heavily marketed in the 1960s and 70s, especially in comic books, and remains a presence in popular culture.[2]
History[edit]
Ant farms had been popularized in 1956 by Milton Levine.[3] Harold von Braunhut invented a brine-shrimp-based product the next year, 1957.[3] Von Braunhut collaborated with marine biologist Dr. Anthony D'Agostino to develop the proper mix of nutrients and chemicals in dry form that could be added to plain tap water to create an accommodating habitat for the shrimp to thrive. Von Braunhut was granted a patent for this process on July 4, 1972.[4]
They were initially called "Instant Life" and sold for $0.49,[5] but von Braunhut changed the name to "Sea-Monkeys" in 1962. The new name was based on their salt-water habitat, together with the supposed resemblance of the animals' tails to those of monkeys.[6]
Sea-Monkeys were intensely marketed in comic books throughout the 1960s and early 1970s[6] using illustrations by the comic-book illustrator Joe Orlando. These showed humanoid animals that bear no resemblance to the crustaceans.[7] Many purchasers were disappointed by the dissimilarity and by the short lifespan of the animals.[6] Von Braunhut is quoted as stating: "I think I bought something like 3.2 million pages of comic book advertising a year. It worked beautifully."[6]
Use[edit]
A colony is started by adding the contents of a packet labeled "Water Purifier" to a tank of water. This packet contains salt, water conditioner, and some brine shrimp eggs. After 24 hours, this is augmented with the contents of a packet labeled "Instant Life Eggs," containing more eggs, yeast, borax, soda, salt, some food, and sometimes a dye.[7] Shortly after that, Sea-Monkeys hatch from the eggs that were in the "Water Purifier" packet. "Growth Food" containing yeast and spirulina is then added every seven days. The best temperature for hatching is 24–27 °C (75–81 °F).[7] Extra and supplementary pouches can be purchased on the official website,[8] though these are not required for the well-being of the Sea-Monkeys.
According to a professor and marine biologist at the University of Mississippi, Artemia usually has a lifespan of two to three months. Still, under ideal home conditions, the brine shrimp live longer. Pet sea monkeys can live for a year, and some have been observed to live for up to five years.[9]
Biology[edit]
The animals sold as Sea-Monkeys are claimed to be an artificial breed known as Artemia NYOS, formed by hybridising different species of Artemia.[6] They are also claimed to live longer and grow bigger than ordinary brine shrimp; however, there are no references to these claims outside marketing material from the manufacturer.[5] They undergo cryptobiosis or anhydrobiosis, a condition of apparent lifelessness which allows them to survive the desiccation of the temporary pools in which they live.[3]
Astronaut John Glenn took Sea-Monkeys into space on October 29, 1998, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during mission STS-95. After nine days in space, they were returned to Earth and hatched eight weeks later, apparently unaffected by their travels.[7] However, earlier experiments on Apollo 16 and Apollo 17, where the eggs (along with other biological systems in a state of rest, such as spores, seeds, and cysts) traveled to the Moon and back and were exposed to significant cosmic rays, observed a high sensitivity to cosmic radiation in the Artemia salina eggs; only 10% of the embryos which were induced to develop from eggs survived to adulthood. The most common mutations found during the developmental stages of the irradiated eggs were deformations of the abdomen or deformations on the swimming appendages and naupliar eye of the nauplius.[10]
See also[edit]
- The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys: a 1992 television series about three sea monkeys and their creator
- "Simpsons Already Did It", a South Park episode that prominently features a parody of Sea-Monkeys called Sea People
- Triops: a genus of small crustaceans in the order Notostraca (tadpole shrimp)
- Mexican jumping bean: seed pods inhabited by the larva of the moth Cydia saltitans which moves when heated
- "Stargazer in a Puddle": a 2007 episode of Bones that made use of "sea chimps" during a science experiment.
References[edit]
- ^ "Official Sea Monkeys Website". sea-monkeys.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
- ^ Hitt, Jack (April 15, 2016). "The Battle Over the Sea-Monkey Fortune". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ a b c Berenbaum, May (2000). "Sea monkey see, sea monkey do". Buzzwords: a Scientist Muses on Sex, Bugs, and Rock 'n' Roll. Joseph Henry Press. pp. 45–49. ISBN 978-0-309-06835-2.
- ^ Coopee, Todd (12 May 2015). "Sea-Monkeys". ToyTales.ca. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ a b Walsh, Walsh. "Official Sea Monkeys Website Cite". sea-monkeys.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
- ^ a b c d e Walsh, Tim (2005). "Ant Farm and Sea-Monkeys". Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers who Created Them. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 124–129. ISBN 978-0-7407-5571-2.
- ^ a b c d Scott, Sharon M. (2010). "Sea-Monkeys". Toys and American Culture: an Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 282–284. ISBN 978-0-313-34798-6.
- ^ "Order – The Original Sea-Monkeys". Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ White, Robyn (2022-02-24). "Sea Monkeys: What Are They, How Long Do They Live and What Do They Look Like Fully Grown?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
- ^ Bücker, H.; Horneck G. (1975). "The biological effectiveness of HZE-particles of cosmic radiation studied in the Apollo 16 and 17 Biostack experiments". Acta Astronautica. 2 (3–4): 247–264. Bibcode:1975AcAau...2..247B. doi:10.1016/0094-5765(75)90095-8. PMID 11887916.