Kōura

photograph by Norvell©                   01 November 2013

While walking in the marshy thickets to get to the river's edge for some of the photos of fall along the North East upper-river I caught a slight motion near my feet and looked down at this little guy moving threateningly with his lobster-like claws toward my foot.  Luckily I hadn't stepped on him and luckily I was carrying my camera - for although I have seen hundreds of the little piles of earth they make when burrowing in the mud, I have never seen a live Crawdad in my life.

"Crayfish – also called crawfish, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, or mudbugs – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related; taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills and are found in bodies of water that do not freeze to the bottom. They are mostly found in brooks and streams where there is fresh water running, and which have shelter against predators. Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some species such as the invasive Procambarus clarkii are hardier. Crayfish feed on living and dead animals and plants."

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These animals are found through-out the world, ranging in size from the little guy shown above to ones as much as 5 Kg (11 lbm).  Two species of Paranephrops are endemic to New Zealand, where they are known by the Māori name kōura.