Crayfish/Crawfish?

Holly9937

AC Members
Jan 20, 2005
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Michigan
Is there a difference, or am I just making up an animal??!! I just wonder how big these things get, my husband and I were at the metropark last weekend and our jack russell stepped on it or I never would have seen it, anyhow the thing was HUGE, at least 5 inches. My husband said he used to fish with them when he was little, but that he had only seen very tiny ones! Just curious, it was really cool, wish I could have taken a picture!
 
And I found my answer, I spend too much time on here and sometimes I forget to try and find something out on my own :duh: !!

If anyone cares, this is what I found, so apparently he was quite big!

Crayfish Information
Crayfish, also called crawfish or crawdad, are closely related to the lobster. More than half of the more than 500 species occur in North America, particularly Kentucky (Mammoth Cave) and Louisiana in the Mississippi basin. Crayfish also live in Europe, New Zealand, East Asia and throughout the world, including the Tristan da Cunha Islands. Nearly all live in freshwater, although a few survive in salt water. Crayfish are characterised by a joined head and thorax, or midsection, and a segmented body, which is sandy yellow, green, or dark brown in colour. The head has a sharp snout, and the eyes are on movable stalks. Crayfish are usually about 7.5 cm (3 inches) long
 
Some interesting notes:

Crayfish are entirely absent from mainland Africa (but not Madagascar); the crayfish fauna of Europe and South America is impoverished (in part due to competitive exclusion by freshwater prawns, crabs, and Aeglid anomurans); crayfish likely originated in glacial meltwater streams of southernmost Permian Gondwana (the earliest fossilized crayfish remains have been uncovered in Antarctica).
 
Thats what my husband said!! He used to love dishes like that but he doesn't eat meat anymore, but I don't think I would have let him take it even if he did. He has obviously got lucky to be around this long, wonder how long it takes them to get that big! He was huge, big enough that he bit by jack russell :dog: , didn't hurt her though :D
 
i've seen crayfish up to 1 FOOT LONG! swear to god. i have a 3, 2,and 1 inch long ones in my tank. but i need to know what they eat.
 
Mine eats algae wafers, zucchini, parsnips, romaine lettuce, spinach, and carnivore food sticks that I stick in the zucchini and parsnips for him to munch on.

He's never eaten any of the fish or the snail or the pleco.

Roan
 
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