Louisiana CrawfishProcambarus clarkii
Quick facts
- Rarity
- Common
- Active during
- Night
- Found in
- Pollywog Cove
- Length
- 4 in
- Wingspan
- 3 in
From the field notes
Diet
These crawfish feed on decaying plant matter, insect larvae, and even small fish. They love eating snails, as the calcium in the snail shells helps keep the crawfish's own armor strong. They help recycle dead material back into the ecosystem.
The Burrow
When summer water levels drop, these crawfish burrow underground to reach the water table. They pile the excavated mud into chimney-like structures across the swamp.
Molting
Since their skeleton is on the outside (an exoskeleton), they regularly shed their armor in order to grow. On a fresh molt, they will hide in a protected spot for a few days until their new shell hardens up.
The Nursery
Female crawfish carry hundreds of their eggs tucked under their tails. When the babies finally hatch, they look like miniature replicas of the adults and cling tightly to their mother for a few weeks before exploring on their own.
Backward Jet
To escape danger, these crawfish violently snap their tails against their abdomens, propelling themselves backward in the water at high speed.