Ephemeral Pools of Moab ~ The Nature & Creatures of Water Potholes 

Holy cow, props to the camera man! These animals are NOT easy to film at such magnifications, and I seriously appreciate the effort that went into capturing them.

This video reminds me of the days I used to spend hours watching the national geographic and discovery channels. The cinematography and narration are top notch.

A very educational, well written and narrated video. Thank you!

This is truly amazing, all of the micro bioverses of extremophiles separated by what seem like planets at that scale. Beautiful!

The first shrimp in the vacuum of space will never know it went to space.

Saw a Fairy Shrimp in a pool at The Cabins in Valley of Fire State Park over 40 years ago as a kid. Never knew what the hell it was until this video! Thank you!

I could spend a lifetime on my belly looking at such wonders.

I wish this was longer. Absolutely fascinating

There are desert shrimp in freaking Utah? Wow! I’ve been to Moab three or four times to see the rock formations. Who knew these creatures were there! Wow. Amazing. Thank you

This really blew me away, I had no idea aquatic life could be so drought resistant in this environment. An entire food web in a temporary pond.

I'd never have guessed the diversity of larger crustacea in these little pools - I always assumed these were species found in similar environments but in different locations or even continents!

At first I thought it was just some small creatures that like to find random puddles . But their entire existence is reliant on the puddles . They even dig underground to wait for their puddle to fill back up again with rain if it dries out. Really cool

Whoa. I live in a place near polar circle, and all those little crustacean guys or their distant relatives appear in local water holes around last 10 days of May and first 10 days of June. Similarity between those and these is mind-blowing.

informative, concise, well paced, and with good attention to aesthetics. everyone involved in making this video should be proud.

Isn't life wonderful? That was a fantastic introduction to how life persists in such extreme environments. Thanks for sharing it. 🇦🇺

Glad RU-vid sent this video my way! Very cool 😁

I can listen to Tim talk all day about these creatures and the ecosystem.

Its nice to see someone showing interest in Tim's work. I remember in highschool biology class in Moab Tim would come in and speak about these eco systems.

Seed shrimp, fairy shrimp, tadpole shrimp, clam shrimp, boiled shrimp, broiled shrimp, sweet and sour shrimp, shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, barbecued shrimp, baked shrimp, sauteed shrimp, pan friend shrimp, deep fried shrimp, stir-fried shrimp, pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That-that’s about it.

Большая благодарность автору данного ролика. Прекрасно продуманный сценарий и замечательная режиссура. Получился превосходный учебно-познавательный фильм для молодежи. Для начинающих экологов и гидробиологов это ценно.

Amazing video! I love seeing such an unusual, unique ecosystem

That was fascinating, holy hell, the speaker! he is such a knowledgeable and nice person, really really loved this video, good work!

Oh the depths of your knowledge oh my God, how unsearchable they really are!

A little clear puddle teeming with life is a kid's summer dream!

Similar ephemeral pools exist on granite outcroppings in Fredricksburg TX (Enchanted Rock)..I used to collect insects from them for entomology class...I did my Master's Thesis on Eulimnadia texana...clam shrimp. Thanks for the reminder and detailed presentation!

This is a very professional and informative video, had no idea such a dry place could have so much life waiting to by hydrated! Reminds me of the trisolarians from the Three Body Problem

This was amazing. I worked in canyonlands on a project for Tim almost 25 years ago. What a cool memory this brought back.

This summer I read "The Secret Knowledge of Water" by Craig Childs, which focuses on this topic. Very interesting read. It's amazing how so many of these life forms can go into cystic form for years - just waiting for water to return to their little pothole.

We have vernal ponds in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which only last a couple of months at best. Usually they have lots of cyclops and daphnia in them, but if you get lucky you can also find fairy shrimp in them. Looking at those temporary ponds in Moab, reminds me of one other set of critters that lives in seasonal ponds in Africa and South America and that would be the annual killifishes (Nothobranchius in Africa, and Cynolebias in South America). Their eggs go through a diapause (arrested development) which enables them to re-emerge when the ponds fill back up in the rainy season.

Note to self...Don't drink from puddles!

I could watch one of these small ecosystems for hours. Its just so fascinating...

Small bodies of water have always fascinated me, I grew up next to a tiny stream in the valley behind my house, not a huge amount of life in it but there was some and I spent days and days down there looking around to see what else was there. I have a special place for little creeks and streams in my heart, people dismiss them but they play a role in the environment regardless. Wish I could visit these little pools, tadpole shrimp are so awesome looking!

As a child, I always used to wonder if we were also living in a virtual pond, of sorts, completely oblivious to giant creatures looking at us with interest.

2:38 fairy shrimp are cute. The way they break apart the sand clump on their back they remind me of otters.

Wow I guess life really does find a way huh

It reminds me the hours that i would spend watching the tiny living creatures as soon as i would walk outdoors

I've seen the fairy shrimp in the pothole of the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma. I'm going to have to look for the other species when it warms up! Nature is amazing!!

Very well spoken and presented mate. Genuinely presented is a rare thing on RU-vid.

Every word that came out of his mouth was engaging and educational! I didn't want it to stop!

This was a remarkable video. Never would have guessed those tiny pools have teeming ecosystems.

My wife and I have marveled at the life that wakes up in these amazing pools at toroweap, North Grand Canyon. Thanks-great video!

Dry rocky desert, backed by snow covered mountains! I saw that when in the Moab area in May 2023. What an environment. Loved this video.

dang, we really are lucky to live in sucha naturally beautiful country. thank for giving us an insight into these creatures

Nature never ceases to amaze.

Beautiful video of the temporary mini ecosystems,taught me a few new things,thank you for teaching and inspiring others too..

A very well made and informative video. Thank you!

Well... now I will be way more careful when I am out in the desert! Thank you for educating me!

Dr. Tim Graham showing off the Paraquanothrus grahami he discovered is such a flex :)

I was so surprised to find out that a species of fairy shrimp lives in vernal pools in the woods near me. Never expected to look for tadpoles and find shrimp.

I knew about fairy shrimp. But, I had no idea there were other small organisms (let alone, so many) that could go dormant in dry periods, like this.

As a kid I used to watch and "study" different kinds of puddles and ditches and I remember how fascinated I was with all the life in them!

As a Rush fan, this is what "natural science" is about! Look it up, listen and be amazed.😊

Very instructive ! Fun to see how life can stand in such a dry place : at 2:13 you can see some rodent passing dicretly in the background behind the scientist ? A very busy place fill with life despite the desert look like at first though. Great video !

I remember seeing these shrimp creatures in these temp pools on rocks years ago, always wondered what was going on there.

It's not just the beautiful landscape but the ecology of the area, the more you learn the more interesting life gets.

These pothole shrimps: "DEHYDRATE!!! One of us survive, all of us survive."

This is a beautiful production, thank you!

We have big huge rocks like that in the west Australian bush. ,,the crustaceans lie dormant until rain ,ive seen them and have many photos of them in the pools ,it's amazing really because it's a virtual desert during summer and the fact they keep reappearing after rain is like miracle...

I would be very surprised if the person talking in this video does not have fish aquariums. Beautiful video. Absolutely loved it.

As a Jordanian you bring joy to my heart with this

This video is fantastic. I never gave this topic much thought but have wondered about the desert in general and it's basically the same concept but way weirder and cooler. I didn't realize water bears/Tardigrades lived in potholes.

Wow, I thought fairy shrimp only live in saltwater since I often bought those for my fish, turns out there are also freshwater species. Fascinating, keep up the good work👍

... Very Interesting Indeed 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🖖

Research that will change humanity forever. This guys going to change our world. Thanks man.

Great video! Very educational. I had read that the brine shrimp in the west originated in the inland sea that existed millions of years ago, and the eggs have been blowing in the wind ever since.

I didn't realize that there were brachiopod dominant ecosystems! I always kind of assumed that they each had their own little pond, I didn't know they were so conspecific. It kind of makes me want to get a tank!

Kudos to your camera person. Spectacularly gorgeous images of surrounding scenery. The colors. The hue. The saturation. Outstanding landscape imagery.

Its just Aaaamazing! Thanks for showing us!

Amazing aerials, time lapse, and even underwater macro. Great work!

this is what i imagine most life would look like when the oceans evaporate and the earth would have mostly seasonal water coverage

I climbed Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) when I was a teenager, back when it was “allowed”. There was a rock pool on the top that had shield shrimp living in it, they look the same as what you call “tadpole shrimp” there. I’ll always remember that.

This is amazing. I am from a coastal city and never would have thought ephemeral desert pools could host large shrimps like this. Nature is amazing, thank you for sharing this and educating us about them.

Pick something, anything, and someone on this planet is an expert on it.

Tim Graham is an excellent speaker! Kudos!

I'd love to see those samples under a microscope.

Deserves more attention. Now I love potholes :D.

Fascinating stuff. I could listen to Tim talk about pot holes all day.

What a great teacher. Passionate and accessible

One of my favorite areas in the world. The tinajas are incredible windows into life. 👍🏼👍🏼

I remember being in a campground "Devils Canyon" down around blanding as a kid. The best campsite in the place has a ledge like stone wall. We were camped there in like mid July and couldn't find our dog. We called, then went looking for him, he was a wire fox terrier. And in a filled pothole on top of the ledge, in the sun there he was, looking like a king in the water, cool and comfy on a hundred degree day...

super fascinating! i keep neocaridinia shrimp and love seeing all their little wild cousins

Damn this is one of the best videos I've seen in ages. Just a guy talking passionately about something. So good

Wish more people has this level of appreciation for life...

Love this video and subject! Last spring I found fairy shrimp in a vernal pool near my home and I nearly lost my mind.

Nature is definitely the best at conserving nature. It will find a way.

i grew up near a bunch of rock pools by the ocean. there was one pool in particular that fascinated me throughout my childhood. it's about the size and depth of 2/3 of a typical bath tub. it's higher up than other rock pools too. and that's the interesting part. only highest of high tides can reach it. so it's completely cut off from the ocean except for about once or twice per month. i used to sit by the edge and watch fish, shrimps, crabs and octopuses in the pool for hours on end. i'm still completely flabbergasted how such a small pool can sustain what looked like an entire ecosystem for 2 to 4 weeks at a time (the pool doesn't dry out though even in hot and dry summers because even though the normal tides don't reach the pool itself, waves always break on the rock edge and splash water into it). i live in a different country now. every time i go back, i always visit the pool. it never fails to fill me with child like curiosity.

Research scientists like Tim have the coolest job

No better way of explaining it than Dr. Ian Micheals “Life, finds a way.”

Absolutely amazing! Its like a look back at the earliest stages of evolution.

so cool, it's like viewing life on another planet but here it is in our own backyard.

Thank you, I grew up in the desert Southwest and these pools were great for watching

Fascinating. Thank you for opening the window to this little world.

That was fantastic. Thank you so much - Fairy Shrimps, just awesome

I was so glade to be informed of these depressions when I visited Canyon Lands Park, hats off to the Rangers there and the Gentleman in this video to make us aware of things like this.

This is so interesting. Great filming. This guy too is worth listening to--a natural teacher. Can't wait to go back to Arches!

Amazing video and I could listen to Tim for hours. He tells the story so well.

its like a glimpse at ancient, early life, ecosystems, only at a much smaller scale. worlds within worlds, fascinating and humbling stuff.

What a great surprise to see you on You tube Tim! Happy 2024 to you & Audrey & the family!

That was very cool. Thank you for uploading.

Grew up in El Paso hiking Hueco Tanks before the tribe took it over and remember watching these guys in the 'tanks'. In collage I had my archaeological field school outside of Moab. It's an incredible place. Just around the mesa from where we were we had a 'pothole' that seemed to stay seasonally wet. It was a neat place.