CRUSTACEANS name comes from hard, crusty body armor most crustaceans live in ocean some well known crustaceans are: lobsters crabs shrimp crayfish

Crayfish lakes and streams Close cousins of lobsters, crabs, and shrimp lobsters, crabs, and shrimp live in salt water crayfish live in fresh water lakes and streams found on every continent except Africa and Antarctica more than 230 species[kinds] live in USA new species discovered every year

Crayfish Facts aren’t fish breathe with gills have 5 pairs of legs gills take oxygen from water crayfish can stay out of water as long as gills are wet have 5 pairs of legs 4 pairs are for moving 1 pair form a set of pincers pincers used to grab things, especially food also used for digging

Crayfish Growth hard shell doesn’t grow crayfish gets too big for shell MOLTS - breaks out of old shell skin hardens into new shell molt many times as they grow also REGENERATE body parts can grow new legs, claws etc. if one is lost

Crayfish Eating Habits hunt for food at night will eat just about anything small help clean up streams and lake beds eat decaying plants and animals

Crayfish Sensing have eyes on stalks that can move all around in front of eyes 2 sets of feelers/antennae one set is long one set is short antennae covered with tiny hairs tiny hairs help crayfish touch, taste, smell opening where each short antenna joins head openings lined with hair hairs sense movement in water

Identifying Male and Female Crayfish Males have larger pincers and narrower tails than females, but these characteristics are not absolute. To tell for sure, you must pick them up and look underneath. Males have two pairs of modified swimmerets (the small leglike appendages under the tail) that are white-tipped and lay between the last pair of walking legs. The females have longer, softer-looking swimmerets (for holding the eggs)

Identifying Male and Female Crayfish (ignore the orange arrows) swimmerets

Crayfish Reproduction reproduce with eggs female lays eggs crawls into a hiding place to protect eggs eggs hatch babies stay stuck to mother’s tail until ready to swim on own

Female Crayfish with eggs

Female Crayfish with eggs under tail

Crayfish young ones First a crayfish starts out as an egg. Then it hatches and looks like a adult but it is smaller. Than it molts to a bigger crayfish. After that it gets to be a adult and if it is a female it will have babies.

Crayfish Protection predators include: otters, raccoons, minks, fish, turtles, snakes, some birds, people crayfish can hide under a rock or burrow threaten enemies with claws can swim backwards