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Interesting news · 17 October 2025
Wet weather helps ancient tadpole shrimp to hatch
from bbc.co.uk
Photograph · bbc.co.uk
Wet weather has helped revive one of the UK’s oldest animal species at RSPB Scotland’s Mersehead Reserve.
The tadpole shrimp, absent from the site since 1948, has hatched again following a successful reintroduction effort led by Buglife, RSPB Scotland and WWT through the Species on the Edge programme.
The shrimp, a relative of species dating back 220 million years, thrives in temporary pools that appear after heavy rain. Two adults were recently spotted for the first time in over 75 years, marking a major conservation success for Scotland’s Solway Coast and the survival of this prehistoric species.
The domed brick drum on the north bank of the Clyde, opposite the Radisson RED at the SEC campus, is to open again in May 2027 as The Rotunda and Roundhouse.
