Crayfish in the Classroom! “Babies”

Momma Crayfish’s Story Poor Momma Crayfish! What a weekend she’s had. Lately the temperatures have been warming up, and she thought Spring was in the air….time for babies! Then - last weekend - A Blizzard!

Luckily the snow melted soon, before Momma’s babies were ready to hatch. She carried them close, to keep them safe. Just when the babies were ready to hatch……

Momma Crayfish ended up in someone’s backyard! She was far away from the nearest stream or pond. How did that happen?

No one knows, but last night the backyard looked like this! Maybe Momma Crayfish walked into the backyard, or maybe she was washed in with the flood. Momma Crayfish needs to be careful, because everyone knows what happens to crayfish when they wander in people’s yards...

Oh no! Luckily, Momma Crayfish did not meet this child. She saw this instead:

Royal was the one to find Momma Crayfish hiding in the grass!

And because EVERYONE knows Ms. Suvak’s classes study animals – Momma Crayfish was brought to town so the class could see how a momma crayfish carries her babies with her as they are hatching! Hey Ms. Suvak – a friend of a friend’s dog just found a crayfish with babies!

See the babies! BABIES

Crayfish Reproduction Males can be told from females by the generally larger pincers and narrower tails, 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) and a little white pore centered between the walking legs. Some time after mating the female lays about 200 eggs, which she carries in a mass under her tail. She’s said to be “in berry” when pregnant!

Male Crayfish Female Crayfish Head

When the babies are born After several weeks the eggs hatch, and a hoard of minute, perfectly formed, ravenous baby crayfish emerge. At first they continue to ride along under the female's tail, eating tiny waterborne bits of food, but soon they leave this security and head out on their own. During these early days many are eaten by fish, insects, and other crayfish, but some always survive to fulfill their destiny.

Female “in berry” and baby crayfish!

Caring for Babies When the eggs hatch it will be even more important for there to be lot of structure in the habitat. Plan to put in a bunch of plants or even plastic plants in which the babies can hide. Rocks, pebbles, flower pots, and the like are good, too. The thing you want is lots of places for the babies to hide from each other. They are notorious for eating each other. As you know, crayfish are at risk just after they have molted, and the little ones love to snack on their just molted brothers and sisters. That’s the way it goes in the crayfish world.

Crayfish Anatomy Lesson HeadThoraxAbdomen Antenna Eye Cheliped Walking Feet Eggs Carapace Swimmerets