Man who created 'world's largest sea-monkey colony' reveals what happens to his animals when they die

A man who created a gigantic sea-monkey colony has revealed exactly what happens to his little Jurassic pets when they die - and it’s kind of beautiful.

Okay, so we all know what sea-monkeys are, and that they look like strange little fossils in the water.

But you might not know that they are just brine shrimp.

These shrimp, known as Artemia, became the household pets we all know and love when they first developed and marketed in 1957 by US entrepreneur, Harold von Braunhut.

He came up with the idea to sell them as eggs in little packets where you can add in some bottled water to the tank and within days, you’ll have a tank full of swimming little shrimp.

Von Braunhut was able to create this mix by working with a marine biologist called Anthony D’Agostino, who helped develop the right nutrients and chemicals in dry form which would allow the shrimp to live well in a tank.

Sea Monkeys are little brine shrimp. (YouTube/ Sea-Monkey Dude)

Now, there aren’t too many adults who take part in the whole sea-monkey thing, but one guy has applied for the Guinness Book of World Records for his colony, which he thinks is ‘world’s largest’.

He might be right.

Known as Sea-Monkey Dude on YouTube, the man regularly updates his followers about how his creatures are doing, how they live and how he maintains their tank.

With thousands of the things in tanks and aquariums in his home, his stash is absolutely enormous.

But with that many lives comes with the inevitability that some will die.

When asked by a commenter underneath one of his update videos what happens to the sea-monkeys who die, replied that he lets nature take its course.

The person asked him: “What happens to all the Sea Monkeys that die? Do they float to the top and you take them out? Do they sink to the bottom and just decay?”

A poor dead Sea Monkey. (YouTube/ Sea-Monkey Dude)

He said: “They sink to the bottom and eventually turn to dust and become a part of the ecosystem.”

While sad, there’s a very good reason why he chooses to leave them be.

He explained in a recent update of his gigantic tank, where he zoomed in on a dead sea-monkey.

He explained: “That dead one over there, that's a bummer. I saw it earlier in the video but didn't call it out but, they die just like other pets.

“It's sad but it happens. People always ask me if they should remove the dead bodies, I don't, because when you've got thousands of them like I do that becomes a full-time job.

“Also, if you have deceased mature females, if she's got eggs, those eggs can still hatch and it's actually likely that they will so we can leave it in there.

“Bodies like this will sink down to the bottom and they'll decompose faster than you would think.”

He went on to say that they’ll ‘become dust’ and ‘part of the ecosystem’, and while it’s upsetting to see, that you need to remember that they aren’t like your traditional pets, as their lifespan is a lot shorter.