Burrowing Crayfish

The rise of "mud chimneys" produced by burrowing crayfish has long been one of my favorite harbingers of spring. These unusual mud structures are often described as looking like chimneys because of their cylindrical shape and large, round hole in the center. No other animal produces such unique mud structures in Ohio.

I was amazed yesterday at the prolific handiwork of Burrowing Crayfish in the Voice of America (VOA) MetroPark in Butler County located in southwest Ohio. Hundreds of their unusual looking mud structures were rising from the soil in turfgrass and naturalized areas.

Mud "chimneys," the nuisance handiwork of Terrestrial or Burrowing Crayfish are rising above turfgrass in central and southwest Ohio.  There are several species of burrowing crayfish, but most belong to two genera:  Cambarus and Fallicambarus.  Like their aquatic cousins, these crayfish use gills to extract oxygen from water.  However, unlike their water-soaked cousins, burrowing crayfish spend most of their lives on land.  They must dig their burrows down to ground water so they have a ready source of oxygen.  This connection to a high water table explains why most...