Red Swamp Crawfish
Crawdad, crayfish
-
Scientific Name:
Procambarus clarkii Freshwater
Native
Crustaceans
- Seasons and Regulations
- Licenses/Permits
Description
Brown to bright red in color with a blackish brown stripe down the abdomen. Claws are flattened. Can grow up to 8 inches in length, but 3 to 5 inches is most common.
Range and Habitat
Found in rivers, bayous, swamps, ditches, ponds, lakes, and rice fields throughout the south central United States and northeastern Mexico. Prefer flooded wetland habitats with periodically flowing, well-oxygenated water. Retreat to burrows when surface waters dry up.
Behavior
Opportunistic omnivores, meaning they eat almost anything. Can detect small amounts of blood and decomposition chemicals in the water and feed on partially decomposed plant material, living soft plants, and on any type of animal meat including other crawfish. Grow by molting—a new shell forms, causing the outer shell to shed. Juveniles molt as often as once a week during their first few months and less often as they mature. Mature between 2 months and 1 year old. Spawning is triggered by length of day, water temperature, and changes in water level. Females must be slightly soft to mate, usually a few days after molting. Mate in open water. Move into burrows to spawn. Fertilized eggs are attached under the tail and carried for 2 to 8 weeks before hatching. Larvae remain on the female for 1 to 3 weeks until she leaves the burrow. Crawfish live up to 3 years.
More Information