Triops mutant or deformed?

well all i can say is triops are a very...very...very... old pet that can have many mysteries behind it as it is over 300 million years old so anything strange can happen with these guys. obviously it grew from its juvenile stage and it is still thriving. i have about 20 triops in my 55 gallon community aquarium, sounds weird but makes it different. they never disappear...they lay eggs and more and more come. your son is going to have fun with these little guys, but remember they are fairly hard to hatch...well for me they are :)