Farm Fauna: Land Lobster?

What’s mud-brown, about 3 inches long, has pinching claws and a lot of attitude? A creature we found in the grass this morning!

Our find was actually a burrowing crayfish, fairly common in this region. We knew what the crustacean was because we’d seen them previously in Indiana…but we hadn’t seen them on our farm. In retrospect, though, some of the holes we attributed to the ducks or geese “drilling” are probably crayfish burrows.

Crayfish are nocturnal, another reason that we wouldn’t have seen them during the day. I also can’t help but wonder if, as omnivores, the Muscovy ducks or chickens might not eat any they encountered…they’ve eaten frogs and mice, after all.

The recent storms and heavy rain may have brought the little lobster out of its burrow – maybe flooded it out? – but we left it where we found it and have no doubt that it will dig itself another home in a spot of its choosing.

Do you have burrowing crayfish where you live? Tell us about it in the comments!

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