California's last native crayfish
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:39 pm
This species is sending all the WRONG signals.
Native to the Pacific Northwest, the signal crayfish has become an unfriendly threat in waters across the country, and even as far as Europe and Asia. It's famous for feasting on anything it can handle. What’s on the menu? Everything from salmon and frog eggs to rare animals like the Shasta crayfish, California's last native crayfish, and the Mazama newt, a species found only in Oregon's Crater Lake.
How you can help: If you find a crayfish, leave it where it is. Don’t move it to another location where it can prey on frog eggs and wreak havoc on the wildlife in streams and creeks. Obey all live bait laws and NEVER release live bait into the wild. Learn more about the signal crayfish's impact to Shasta crayfish in our comments.
Photo: Signal crayfish by Lauren Kong/USFWS
Native to the Pacific Northwest, the signal crayfish has become an unfriendly threat in waters across the country, and even as far as Europe and Asia. It's famous for feasting on anything it can handle. What’s on the menu? Everything from salmon and frog eggs to rare animals like the Shasta crayfish, California's last native crayfish, and the Mazama newt, a species found only in Oregon's Crater Lake.
How you can help: If you find a crayfish, leave it where it is. Don’t move it to another location where it can prey on frog eggs and wreak havoc on the wildlife in streams and creeks. Obey all live bait laws and NEVER release live bait into the wild. Learn more about the signal crayfish's impact to Shasta crayfish in our comments.
Photo: Signal crayfish by Lauren Kong/USFWS