Hundreds of three-eyed ‘dinosaur shrimp’ emerge from mud pits at Burning Man as 70,000 revelers escape the flooded Nevada festival

Heavy rains that fell on over 70,000 Burning Man attendees also woke hundreds of three-eyed “dinosaur shrimp” from their slumber.

Known as fairy shrimp, the tiny creatures were locked in a thick shell for years until rainstorms drenched the Nevada Festival, usually a dry wasteland, and provided an optimal environment for hatching.

The crustaceans were spotted emerging from the mud pits as revelers fled the flooded desert and will begin laying more eggs over the next week.

Fairy shrimp are known as “living fossils” because similar forms date back to the Cambrian Period more than 500 million years ago.

Taking place in the Black Rock Desert, Burning Man’s “self-expression” began on August 27 and lasted through September 4, when a freak late summer storm turned the festival into a sloppy mess and left partygoers foot-deep in mud.

Hundreds of three-eyed shrimp have been spotted in the muddy landscape where Burning Man took place last week

Known as fairy shrimp, the tiny creatures were locked in a thick shell for years until rainstorms drenched the Nevada Festival, usually a dry wasteland, and provided an optimal environment for hatching. Pictured is an adult shrimp from 2017 in the Black Rock Desert

Fairy shrimp belong to the genus Anostraca and unlike shrimp, which belong to the genus Decapoda, they do not have a shell on their heads or in front of their chests.

In addition, most fairy shrimp have 11 pairs of legs, while modern shrimp only have eight.

The “dinosaur” creature has two eyes and a pit organ, a third eye common in insects. The pit organ helps them detect changes in light to avoid predators.

Fairy shrimp have a short lifespan of two to three months and live in seasonal waters.

Their eggs are said to have “enduring vitality”. They can stay in the ground for a few years before hatching in fresh water and even survive boiling.

The shrimp originally populated the world’s oceans, but were forced into shallow freshwater habitats by predators.

The “self-expression” Burning Man began on August 27 and ran through September 4, when a freak late-summer storm turned the festival into a sloppy mess and left partygoers foot-deep in mud.

The crustaceans were spotted emerging from the mud pits as revelers fled the flooded desert and will begin laying more eggs over the next week

The rare species swims upside down. It lays its eggs on the bottom of dry ponds and remains dormant until conditions are suitable for hatching – and that’s exactly what this weekend’s rainstorm has brought about

The species lays its eggs on the bottom of dry ponds and remains dormant until conditions are suitable for hatching – and this weekend’s rainstorm provided just that.

More than a half inch and possibly nearly an inch of rain fell this weekend in parts of northwest Nevada, which includes the area that hosts the Burning Man festival, said Mark Deutschendorf, a weather forecaster with the National Weather Service in Reno.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a single death Saturday. Officials said it happened “during this rain event,” but gave few other details.

“As this death is still under investigation, no further information is available at this time,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Saturday night.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Burning Man’s CEO said Sunday that “there is no reason to panic” and did not describe it as an “evacuation situation.”

Parts of northwestern Nevada, which includes the area that hosts the Burning Man festival, saw more than a half inch and possibly nearly an inch of rain fall this weekend

Despite the chaos, the hedonistic crowds made the best of the situation by organizing slip-and-slides and other unique Burning Man-style activities.

Burning Man is set on prehistoric Lake Lahontan, a dry lake bed colloquially known as a playa. The soil consists of alkaline dust, which usually causes irritation of the throat.

But with this year’s rain, the saturated dust has created an elaborate stick-in-the-mud game for scantily clad music lovers.