Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing crawfish. These animals have lots of common names like crayfish, crawdad, and craydid, and all of these are acceptable. Like all the animals we discuss, they have different names in different regions and different languages. This is why scientific naming is so important! It helps us avoid confusion!

Crawfish look like little lobsters, but they're not lobsters. They have claws like true lobsters, but generally speaking lobsters live in marine waters and crawfish live in freshwater. Not always, though! Some crawfish species can handle changes in salinity, so they may be found in brackish water areas. There are also lobsters commonly called crayfish; these are found in Australia. These lobsters aren't the same crayfish we're discussing today, as they live in marine waters, and they're not true lobsters because they lack claws! They're otherwise known as spiny, or rock lobsters. Also, crawfish aren't prawns as prawns are also found in saltwater.

Crawfish live in creeks, streams, lakes, swamps, and more. They naturally occur throughout parts of Asia and Australia, Europe, and the Americas. Madagascar is also home to crawfish, but not mainland Africa, though species have been introduced there. North America has the highest species diversity of crawfish, and all together there are more than 650 living, classified crawfish species.

Crawfish hide under logs, vegetation, and rocks. Some species also burrow into mud. This may be either underwater or in turret spider-like structures on land! Crawfish can handle a little time on land as long as they stay moist. Even if their home dries up, they can travel over land to another home!

We didn't mention size as a determining factor for crawfish versus lobsters because some species can get big. The largest crawfish reach more than 15 inches (38cm) in length and 8 pounds (3.6kg) in weight! That's almost Chester-sized! On the flip side, the smallest crawfish are about the length of your thumbnail! On average they reach about 3 inches (7.6cm) long.

Crawfish get around on their legs or by using their tail to thrust themselves backwards in the water. This tactic is useful for escaping predators. Predators to crawfish include raccoons, foxes, and other mammals, snakes, turtles, and other reptiles, as well as birds and fish. Crawfish themselves are also predatory. They use their claws to hold and tear apart meals which include insects and their larvae, small fish, tadpoles, worms, and snails. Snails are an important part of their diet because the snail shells help make the crawfish's shell stronger! Crawfish also eat plants and carrion.

Depending on the species, a crawfish may live just one year or up to twenty years. Those that live in colder areas live longer. They begin life as an egg. Female crawfish carry their eggs in their underside. They're known as "in berry'' during this time because the eggs look like berries along their belly. These develop for a few weeks and hatch into juveniles that remain with the mother for several more weeks. It may be a few months to many years before they're ready to have babies of their own. This is another way crawfish are separate from lobsters. Lobsters have a free living larval stage, while crawfish young emerge like small versions of the adults. There are also some crawfish that reproduce without males. So far, no males have ever been discovered of this type and the females produce female offspring without fertilization. This is known as parthenogenesis.

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