The Crayfish Who is Not a Fish

Who is this funny looking little fellow? This is a Crayfish which is also called a Crawfish or Crawdad. Although it has “fish” in its name, it is not a fish at all. It is a crustacean and has an exoskeleton. That means it has a hard shell on the outside giving structure and protection to its body. When the crayfish grows, the exoskeleton gets too tight. So the crayfish has to wiggle out of it. Underneath the old exoskeleton is a bigger exoskeleton that allows the crayfish to grow. Have you ever eaten crab or shrimp or lobster? Well, the crayfish is a relative of these animals. Yes, crayfish are edible, as raccoons know this very well. This crayfish looks kind of big, but it is only about 4” long. Open up your hand. Now close it very fast! That is how the crayfish’s tail works. It curls up very quickly and scoots the crayfish away from danger. An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals. Crayfish are omnivores. They eat frog eggs, tiny fish, water bugs, worms, and water plants. They are also decomposers. Remember the dead snake?
Decomposers were breaking it down into smaller and smaller pieces that finally turned the snake into soil. Crayfish do the same thing. They will also eat dead plants and animals. You might think, “Oooooooo, yuck!” But what would ecosystems be like if we did not have decomposers? That’s right, there would be a bunch of stinky, slimy dead plants and animals laying around. So thank goodness for decomposers, like the Crayfish, who clean up everything for us!

Who cleans up inside your home? Who cleans up around the outside of your home? What would happen if no one cleaned up your house?

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