Here's what the Official Sea-Monkey Handbook has to say about 'The Unbreakable "CHAIN OF LIFE"!'
Sea-Monkeys reproduce like other advanced animal species. A male Sea-monkey and a female Sea-Monkey mate sexually, and thus new life is created. Lesser forms of life such as hydra and other simple animals reproduce through budding - or even through mitosis (splitting into two) which occurs among single-celled animaculae (micro-animals) such as Amobae and Paramecium. Among Sea-Monkeys however, in absence of a mate, a strange, wonderful thing happens. Incredible as it may seem, some female Sea-Monkeys bear offspring without a father-donor! These miraculous babies are produced by means of a fantastic biological phenomenon known as Parthenogenesis or Self-conception! Parthenogenesis in Sea-Monkeys is called "Meiotic" Parthenogenisis. Only Meiotic Parthenogenesis permits THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF ADVANTAGEOUS COMBINATIONS OF "GENES" (complex, self-perpetuating protein molecules that transmit hereditary characteristics). Summed up, this means that Sea-Monkeys have evolved a most extraordinary tenacity for life. It also suggests that if just a single female Sea-Monkey survived a cataclysmic catastrophe that wiped out all other animals including Sea-Monkeys off the face of the earth, it is possible that this Sea-Monkey "Eve" could recreate her species without an "Adam" and the race of Sea-Monkeys would live again!
Now, going one step beyond, as if this were not sufficient insurance for their perpetuation, there are not one but the five incredible means nature has devised for Sea-Monkeys to enter the world - protected forever by a seemingly unbreakable "CHAIN OF LIFE":
1. VIVIPARITY: Meaning: "Live birth". In the same manner as other advanced animals, the Sea-Monkey embryo develops in the mother's body until it is fully formed. There is however no placenta or connecting "lifeline" between mother and child. When the babies emerge from their mother, they have flippers which enable them to swim almost immediately. a tiny egg sac outside their bodies provides nourishment for the first day or two until they gain strength and are able to seek food. Therefore, the baby Sea-Monkeys are quite self-sufficient almost from the moment of their birth.
2. OVIPARITY: Referring to birth through hatching from an egg. This is the same process through which birds and most reptiles and amphibians are born. However, the mother Sea-Monkey does not build a nest or provide a hatching place for her eggs. Instead, she deposits them directly into the sea. The action of the wind and waves carry them to shore where they dry. Eventually, they are swept back into the water by the tides. This cycle of drying and re-wetting "triggers" a bio-chemical reaction that induces the eggs to swell up, split, and release the live baby Sea-Monkeys.
3. OVOVIVIPARITY: In this reproductive process, the embryo Sea-Monkeys develop in eggs that remain within the mother's body. However these eggs are independent of the mother Sea-Monkey's "body chemistry", which simply serves to protect her babies until they are born. In effect, the body of the mother is the "nest" for her fertile eggs. When ready, the developed babies hatch from the eggs while yet inside their mother, and then they are expelled alive into the sea.
4. NECROOVIVIPARITY: This is a truly marvellous example of how nature protects and preserves life even under the most extreme circumstances. If a pregnant female Sea-Monkey dies with viable ovoviviparous eggs, the embryo Sea-Monkeys will still continue to develop until they are born alive. Protected by anti-toxins in their eggshells, the babies remain snug and safe, and grow until they hatch, even though their mother is no longer alive.
5. PRETERMITTED OVIPARITY: Suspended animation, the dream of science-fiction writers is a reality in the life-cycle of Sea-Monkeys! An unknown incredible biological mechanism stops the development of the embryo although the baby Sea-Monkey remains alive, sealed inside the egg as if it were a "time machine". At some time in the future it will again commence to continue its cycle of development, and will be born alive from its halted state of growth. As long as it is fry, the egg remains reserved with its precious "cargo of life". The "trigger" that restarts its development is water. When the egg is immersed in water, the embryo will again continue to grow. If the water is of the proper chemical balance and pH (a measure for acidity-alkalinity of the water), the baby Sea-Monkey will live after hatching. If not, it will die. That is why your Sea-Monkey formula is so important. When added to ordinary water, it makes the perfect environment in which your Sea-Monkeys will live and grow after birth.
For how long Sea-Monkeys can remain alive in suspended animation has not been established. In laboratory experiments, some eggs that were dated, hatched after being stored for more than a DECADE! Lotus seeds found in a prehistoric korean "burial ship" sprouted alive when planted, after a "sleep" of centuries! Descendents of these miraculous plants are actually in cultivation today by Japanese horticulturalists who acquired them. Considering the way some forms of life cling to survival under seemingly impossible conditions, it is not unreasonable to wonder if Sea-Monkeys too may be able to survive for untold ages.
Note: Yes I know that it says elsewhere that Sea Monkeys don't live in the sea but in salt lakes and flats, and this is also stated in the official handbook. I can only imagine that the notes for Ovoviviparity are incorrect in their reference to the sea.
So here are some pictures of my Sea Monkeys, who are doing very well on my desk at work. They get plenty of attention there, I found that I did tend to forget them a bit when I kept them at home.
It's a CD box from Muji - with a couple of CD cases for a lid, because that large surface area of water would otherwise cause rapid evaporation. I thought it was nicer than the Micro-View Ocean Zoo, and the monkeys seem to appreciate the greater swimming space. I did add an extra 3 packs of Sachet 1 (water purifier) though.
Blurry photo showing much activity. Haven't worked our yet if there's a way to decrease exposure time in a digital camera. This photo session attracted much negative attention from colleagues and the photocopier repair man. They're all just jealous.
Those links again:
The Sea-Monkey Answer Lady's brilliant site - if you visit one link from here, make it this one.
Nostalgia at the BadFads.com museum
The story of how Sea Monkeys started as a children's toy