The search for North America’s biggest crayfish has turned a friendly rivalry into a scientific question about what limits their growth. A Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish in a West Virginia university collection has taken the top spot in a new ranking of North America’s largest known crayfish. Its carapace, the hard shell covering its head and midsection, measures 86.6 millimeters, or about 3.4 inches, without counting the tail, claws, or antennae. The specimen, housed at West Liberty University, led a list of 20 large individuals representing 18 species. The rankings, published in Ecology, grew out of a friendly disagreement that sent researchers searching through museum collections around the country. Museum specimens settle a crayfish rivalry Caitlin Bloomer had pulled a huge crayfish known as a Crawzilla crawdad from the muck during a biological survey in Kentucky. A teaching assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, she brought the animal back to campus. “I thought, ‘There’s no doubt I have caught the biggest crayfish anyone’s ever seen!’ I brought it back to campus to show my colleague, naturally bragging about having caught the...

Rusty crayfish have invaded more than 300 northern Minnesota lakes. Can Midwestern appetites help manage a destructive invasive species?

Spain’s red swamp crayfish population began with 4,400 pounds imported from Louisiana in the 1970s, and since then the species has quickly expanded and come to dominate some of the country’s waterways...

However, keeping tabs on these four-inch-long freshwater creatures can get a bit sticky.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County invites the community to take part in the eighth annual Rusty Rodeo, a free, family-friendly event focused on removing invasive rusty crayfish from local wa...

Bright red crayfish are turning up in Columbus neighborhoods. Here's why they're here and what to do if you spot one.

A lobster-like invasive species of crayfish has now been confirmed in Ontario, with officials warning of the potential long-term impacts on freshwate…

The fight to save Australia’s ‘incredibly captivating’ endangered spiny crayfish: Global heating is destroying creeks the crayfish call home. They’re the canary in the coalmine for other species living in the delicate ecosystems Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A surprising discovery at a Memphis grocery store is turning heads after an employee found an unusual creature hiding in a shipment of flowers. An East Memphis Kroger manager says …

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