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[title size=”2″]Prairie Crayfish[/title]

The prairie crayfish, sometimes referred to as the grassland crayfish, is one of more than twenty types found in the Ozarks. It is a member of the cambaridae family which consists of freshwater crayfish in the order of decopoda that includes shrimp, crabs, and lobsters. This type of crayfish is characterized by its bright red to reddish-brown colored shell that is free of any blotches or spots. It has short, heavy pincers that are attached to a high, dome-shaped carapace that is larger in size than its abdomen and is closed on the sides, known as an areola, which is characteristic of many other members of the cambaridae family. Adults grow to a size of two to three inches in length. In the Ozarks, the prairie crayfish is often mistaken for the devil crayfish; however the devil crayfish is not as uniform or as bright as the prairie crayfish, and the males of the devil crayfish have curved gonopod tips in comparison to the straight tips of the prairie crayfish. Its natural habitat is the grasslands and prairies of the Ozarks, specifically the northern and western areas of Missouri, where it buries into the earth to depths of six feet or more. Though there are large populations, they are rarely seen by visitors to the region due to their secretive habitats.

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Procambarus gracilis

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