Learning to dig Nebraska’s crawfish

With their jointed legs and protecting exoskeleton, crawfish are a novel a part of Nebraska’s aquatic ecosystems.

A crawfish’s physique is comprised of three fundamental components: head, thorax and stomach — like its distant insect kin. Nevertheless, crawfish have 5 pairs of legs, giving them a complete of 10, whereas bugs solely have six legs.

For this reason crawfish are categorized as decapods — “deca” means 10. Gills for respiration underwater are hidden beneath the thorax, and 5 pairs of small pleopod legs beneath the tail helps them swim. On females, the pleopods are also the place eggs connect and hatch.

Younger crawfish emerge from their eggs trying like miniature variations of their mother and father. As they develop, they shed previous exoskeletons, which give them extra room for development. Generally, crawfish even eat their shed pores and skin for calcium, which helps new exoskeleton come again stronger.

Crawfish should be cautious, although, as durations of shedding make them weak to predators. New exoskeleton is mushy, and till it has time to harden, people should be cautious to keep away from publicity.

Crawfish have specialised gills that allow them to breathe air. If they’ll maintain their gills moist, crawfish can survive 5 to seven days outdoors water. In humid or marshy situations, crawfish can survive for months.

Many crawfish species are burrowers, which means they dig underground and use groundwater to outlive, particularly in locations the place there aren’t any above-ground water sources. Whereas a number of crawfish species desire to stay underground most of their lives, others solely head beneath the soil when pressured to take action.

Streams, creeks, soggy ditches and moist meadows are perfect for crawfish, and a few have been present in grasslands. In case you ever end up visiting one among these locations in Nebraska, you probably are visiting the house of crawfish. And regardless of their scary-looking claws, crawfish typically are shy animals that desire to remain hidden beneath rocks and logs, particularly if people are stomping about.

When crawfish are alarmed, they quickly flip their tail segments forwards and backwards to shoot themselves by way of the water and away from hazard. They may even launch an odor to sign hazard to close by crawfish. In case you catch one, nonetheless, don’t be offended for those who obtain a curt pinch.

Aquatic and terrestrial programs are wealthy in natural matter, known as detritus. Crawfish eat these small bits of plant and animal materials that gather over time, together with algae, snails, fish eggs, small fish and different invertebrates.

As prey, different dwelling issues discover crawfish to be delectable, together with different crawfish, river otters, nice blue herons, raccoons, giant fish and mink. Even people like to eat crawfish. In locations like Louisiana and Texas, individuals usually put together “crawfish boils.” The meat tastes like a cross between lobster and shrimp.

Crawfish are a novel member of Nebraska’s ecosystems. The subsequent time you head outdoors, search for one among Nebraska’s 5 native species of crawfish: the satan, calico, ringed, northern or prairie.