Crayfish vs Crawfish
The freshwater crustaceans such as crayfish and crawfish are the same animal species. These freshwater crustacean species possess a segmented body that is dark brown, red, green, or sandy yellow. Some lobsters without claws, such as spiny lobster and rock lobster, are also different names of crayfish lobster species. The Gulf Coast states and the Mid-Atlantic States refer to these animals as crawdads. No matter what word is used for the same animal, crawdad species or crawfish vs crayfish, they taste good. The crawfish crayfish eat fish, insects, and other animals. Although there are hundreds of crawdads throughout the world, some of these crawfish or crawdad animals are present in the Northwestern areas.
These crawdad crustaceans are found in streams, lakes, ponds, rivers, swamps, and running water. There are several sets of whiskers and claws at the front legs of the same creature, i.e. crawfish or crayfish crawdad. Crayfish, also called crawdads or lobsters feel a tasty treat to predators and people. Many people visit New Orleans-style etouffee. People refer to New Orleans as full of delicious shrimp crayfish animal species.
As crawfish meat is similar to crab and lobster, it can be used in soup or other shellfish dishes. Although there are minor differences between crawfish and crayfish, they are technically considered the exact words. People are cooking and eating lobster or crawdads by catching them from streams. When the dishes full of crawfish meat are cooked, the meat looks tasty. Everyone in the world loves cooking Louisiana-style crawfish boil dish in spring. Many restaurants for Louisiana recipes, including soup and other crawfish food to visit.
Crayfish | Crawfish |
Almost dozens of crayfish are present in Australia, the United states, and worldwide. They inhabit brooks, rivers, etc. | Various crawfish are present in Mexico, Nigeria, China, Australia, Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Nordic countries, etc. |
The adult crayfish possess an average body length of 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters. In addition, the weight of these lobsters ranges between 2 and 3 kilograms. | The smallest crawfish called Cambarellus diminutus in the Southeastern US is 2.5cm long; in contrast, the largest Astacopsis gouldi, with a weight of 8lbs, is 40cm long. |
Crayfish are not considered kosher like all other crustaceans. The reason behind it is that crayfish are aquatic animals that don’t possess scales and fins. | The aquatic crawfish lives in well water, spring water, and conditioned tap water. The water should be more than 15 centimeters deep, covering the back of the crawfish. |
The body covering or exoskeleton of crayfish is rigid and thin. There are five pairs of legs, possessing powerful and large pincers or chelae. | The exoskeleton of crawfish contains five pairs of small appendages on the abdominal side used for circulating water and swimming. |
The crayfish takes almost 24 hours to several days to molt completely. Furthermore, they hide under something during molting because it is unsafe at that time. | The crawfish molt as they shed hard exoskeletons, growing new larger ones. A crayfish molts almost 6 to 10 times during the first year of life. It gets decreased during the second year. |
Research has shown these creatures tend to have an excellent eyesight. They can quickly move their eyes, not depending on one another. | The crawfish tend to have two compound eyes. The eyes of crawfish are made up of more than one individual eye; hence are called compound eyes. |
The crayfish food mainly consists of living and non-living invertebrates such as insects and snails, fresh vegetation, etc. | Like other animals, the crawfish also require proper food to survive. Their food contains soft crayfish, dead and decaying matter, fish, etc. |
Everyone in the world eats these tiny creatures. Only a tiny portion of the crayfish is edible, like other edible creatures on the earth. | The edible meat produced by a crawfish is present in its tail. The people pinch off the tail of crawfish, squeezing out meat and eating it. |
The main threats of crayfish contain many species, including great blue herons, raccoons, mink, large fish, etc. In addition, the crayfish eggs are also eaten by fish and other crayfish. | The analysis has shown that the main threats to crawfish include logging, urban development, pollution, climate and disease change, and damming/water management. |
The service listed the Big Sandy crayfish as a threatened animal in May 2016. It is being protected under the endangered species act. | Scientists have estimated that almost half of all crawfish are unprotected and vulnerable to extinction due to many environmental threats. |
FAQ’s
Sometimes people get confused and ask questions about crawfish vs. crayfish to clear people’s minds. Therefore, the answers to some of those questions are as below;
Are crayfish the same as crawfish?
Crawdad, crayfish, and crawfish are the same animal species. Although different names are assigned to them, it creates no confusion for the people.
Do crayfish bite humans?
Crayfish possess several claws and bite on being threatened. However, the risk of injury can be reduced by wearing gloves. Medical care is recommended for severe treatments.
What do crayfish eat like a pet?
The crayfish diet as a pet includes twigs, planktons, dead fish, algae, rotten leaves, and decaying vegetation. In addition, they can also rely on frogs, turtles, even their own baby crayfish.
Can I catch a crayfish?
The native crayfish are protected creatures that can only be trapped for scientific purposes. However, you cannot sell them, if we talk about them.
How long can a crawfish live out of water?
It can survive for several days without water due to the presence of specialized gills, enabling them to breathe in normal air. They can also stay for months if they live in humid conditions.
Conclusion
Various animals and plants are present worldwide, all possessing unique identification characters discriminating against them. The same is the case with crayfish vs. crawfish. This blog post has provided exciting facts and information about these creatures to clarify people’s minds. It will help great if you read this article with great attention.