Crayfish - Order Decapoda

I found this freshwater crayfish carapace on the forest floor. It wasn't in great shape and was missing some of the distinguishing characteristics that I would normally use for identification. I think it's in the family Cambaridae. It could be Orconectes propinquus, Orconectes rusticus, or Cambarus robustus...But, I'm not sure.

The carapace was about 5 cm long.

Spotted on the ground in a mostly coniferous forest - near the edge of a river.

comments (4)

Flown Kimmerling

Lion

SO awesome despite being in bad condition. Posted 7 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks! It always surprises me to find crayfish bits and snail shells in the woods :). This was a big one! Posted 7 years ago
2. 1. Patomarazul
    
    Lion
    
    An animal fishing them...could it be black bears or something less big like raccoons? Intriguing! Posted 7 years ago
  2. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      Yes! Someone had a tasty snack! We have bears, fishers, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes in the area! There's definitely a lot of food in the forest to sustain them. Posted 7 years ago

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