Egads! Crawdads!

By CONNIE MERTZ

I well remember a humorous incident several years ago while our family was fishing at Rose Valley Lake. Waiting for the fish to bite, my husband was investigating the water along the shore. There was a sizable burrow, which housed some little critter. Wiggling his finger around the submerged opening, he tried to entice its resident. To his shock, out came the biggest crayfish we had ever seen! It was the size of a lobster --okay, I’m exaggerating, but not by much. You never saw a finger move so quickly!

Actually, crayfish, crawfish or crawdads--whatever you wish to call them--do resemble miniature lobsters. There are 350 species in North America alone, and in Pennsylvania there are nine. Crayfish are related to insects, but they have five pairs of legs instead of an insects’ three. The first pair and most recognizable are the pinchers. These are used during breeding, feeding and for self defense. Though they move headfirst or from side to side, their best maneuver is backwards.

Both sexes are quite similar, but it’s the male who has the larger claws. It is believed that pheromones and behavior determine the sex as well. The male often breaks one or more of its legs during battles with other males, but they usually grow back as long as the crayfish isn’t nearing the end of his three-year cycle. When breeding is completed, the males molt, shedding their outer skeletons and in the process losing their aggressiveness. This seasonal change occurs in no other freshwater crustacean.

When the young hatch, they remain on the female’s back until molting occurs three to four times. In appearance, they are miniature adults. All crayfish feed on aquatic larvae and animal remains. And they in turn make tasty meals for fish and other aquatic and land animals. And of course, they are used for fish bait, but you won’t find my fingers in the minnow bucket. I prefer not to touch.