Article posted: 2/2/2013 8:00 AM

Tiny shrimp a big find in Lake County

Tiny shrimp a big find in Lake County

Buy this photo Buy this photo
next prev 1 of 2
   
Gallery Image

What appear to be Mississippi grass shrimp were collected in the Des Plaines River in 2008 but not officially documented.

Courtesy of Simon Helgeson

The Mississippi grass shrimp, also known as glass shrimp, was found this summer in Lake County. The only other finds in Illinois have been in Otter Creek and the Kankakee River.

Courtesy of David Argent/U.S. Geological Survey

About this Article

Ecologists this past summer found a species of shrimp in the Des Plaines River in southern Lake County that is rare in the area. The inch-long Mississippi grass shrimp had only been documented in two other Illinois locations: Otter Creek and the Kankakee River.The presence of the crustacean is indicative of an improving water system, officials said.