• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Animal Sake

Animal Sake

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

Information About Crayfish Habitat, Along With Some Fun Facts

Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans that are used for many purposes, which includes keeping them as pets. This article provides information on crayfish habitat, and some interesting facts about crayfish as well.

You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Information About Crayfish Habitat, Along With Some Fun Facts

Like it? Share it!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Crayfish Habitat

Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans that are used for many purposes, which includes keeping them as pets. This article provides information on crayfish habitat, and some interesting facts about crayfish as well.

Live Crayfish in Golden Gate Park
crayfish on a tree trunk
Red crawfish in aquarium

Crayfish are the small lobster-like crustaceans that are found in freshwater bodies. Also known as crawfish and crawdads, these creatures are close relatives of the larger marine lobsters. Indeed, there is considerable physical resemblance between lobsters and crayfish, with the latter being much smaller in size than the former. Although most crayfish are found in freshwater, sometimes they can also be found in brackish water bodies and creeks (from where they might migrate further into salt water). Crayfish belong to the biological order Decapoda, and are also related to crabs, hermit crabs, and shrimp, besides lobsters.

Habitat Details

Would you like to write for us? Well, we're looking for good writers who want to spread the word. Get in touch with us and we'll talk...

Let's Work Together!

Mostly, crayfish reside in fresh water, especially where the water is running, such as rivers, streams, and brooks. They prefer running water as most of them cannot survive in polluted water. Stagnant or standing water bodies are most prone to getting dirty and polluted as they do not have access to cleaner water sources which can flow in and wash away polluted, stale water through aquatic outflows.

However, certain crayfish species such as the Procambarus klarkii are more resilient and are even able to survive in a somewhat polluted aquatic environment. Crayfish fall into three different families, out of which two are found in the Northern hemisphere and one in the Southern hemisphere. The Parastacoidea family, Parastachidae, is found in Australia, Madagascar, and South America in the Southern hemisphere, and the Astacoidea family consisting of the Astacidae and Cambaridae are found in the western part of the Eurasian continental landmass and the western part of North America respectively.

Australia is host to about 100 species of crayfish including marron, red-claw crayfish, yabby, Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish, and western yabby. Madagascar, as a geographically significant crayfish habitat, is home to seven species falling under the genus Astacoides. Seven crayfish species belonging to the genera Astacus and Austropotamobius are found in Europe while seven species belonging to the genus Cambaroides are native to Japan.

North America comes out as the geographical habitat of the maximum species of crayfish, with a whopping 330 species belonging to nine different genera of the Cambaridae family, residing in the waters of the southeastern parts of North America. Crayfish mostly rest underneath rocks, among submerged logs and twigs, and remain hidden among other aquatic vegetation such as weeds or grass.

Amusing Facts

  • Crayfish are quite ancient creatures in the chronology of the evolution of various life forms on Earth. The oldest fossil records of crayfish have been found in Australia, which are believed to be about 115 million years old.
  • The water mold Aphanomyces astaci is responsible for crayfish plague, a disease from which they suffer.
  • Being omnivorous, the diet of crayfish includes animal as well as plant matter – both living and dead. When in their natural habitat, crayfish mostly feed on decomposing animal matter or decayed leaves as these are easy for them to rip off with their claws. In confinement, small fish like minnows and guppies, snails, algae, etc., can be included in their feeding menu. They also eat any bacteria that may grow in the tank, thereby preventing the water from getting contaminated. That’s good news for fish tank owners who have recently taken up crayfish care.
  • Crayfish tail meat is used as a bait for channel catfish, pike, largemouth bass, and muskellunge.
  • They are popular as a gustatory treat all over the world, the most consumption happening in regions like Scandinavia, Spain, France, China, United States, Mexico, and Nigeria.
  • Their natural predators include turtles, otters, wading birds, and bigger fish.
  • As a food item, crayfish have a significant calorific value and high sodium and protein content. They also have almost no fats and zero carbohydrates.

The exoskeleton of crayfish constitutes a major portion of their body mass. Hence, when you eat one, you get very little flesh and a lot of shell, making the eating effort quite demanding. This is one reason why many people do not like to order crustaceans and related seafood. However, most people who have tasted this culinary delicacy vouch for its gustatory delight.

Closeup of fresh water prawn
crayfish on white background with funny style
Crawfish
Food boiled crayfish
Crayfish beer snack
Crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish

Related Posts

  • Butterfly Facts and Information

    The following butterfly facts and information should get you intrigued about these fascinating insects, that are known for their astounding transformational life cycles...

  • Wonderful Information About the Habitat of Grasshoppers

    Grasshoppers are found very commonly and therefore, their habitat can be varied, ranging from moist rain forests to hot deserts. These insects are funnily shaped and are distinguishable by their…

  • Eye-popping Information About the Habitat of Honey Bees

    Honey bees possess the remarkable feature of being able to live naturally as well as be domesticated. They are found in temperate and well as tropical habitats.

« Previous Post
Next Post »

Category iconUncategorized

Footer

We hope you enjoy this website. We've created informative articles that you can come back to again and again when you have questions or want to learn more!
  • Facebook
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsAccept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT