Brine shrimp are small crustaceans that inhabit saline waters around the world, both inland and on the coast. They are the largest animals that live in Great Salt Lake, measuring up to just over 1 cm in length. Brine shrimp can tolerate any levels of salinity from 25‰ to 250‰, with an optimal range of 60‰–100‰. They are an important part of the lakes ecosystem and are consumed by birds, water boatmen, fishes, and other crustaceans. Brine shrimp belonging to the species Artemia salina, which occur in vast numbers in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, are of commercial importance. Young brine shrimp hatched there from dried eggs are used widely as food for fish and other small animals in aquariums. Adult female brine shrimp ovulate approximately every 140 hours and can produce eggs that almost immediately hatch in favourable conditions. In their first stage of development, Artemia do not feed but consume their own energy reserves stored in the cyst. Wild brine shrimp eat microscopic planktonic algae, while cultured brine shrimp can also be fed particulate foods including yeast, wheat flour, soybean powder or egg yolk.