The Blue Crayfish
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Known by many names, such as the electric blue crayfish, the Florida crayfish, and the sapphire crayfish, the wild blue crayfish, Procambarus alleni, resides mainly in the peninsular region of Florida. Often thought of as a pet (for the household fish tank), the electric blue crayfish is very active, although they are only about 4-6 inches long! Also, they generally only live for 5-6 years at most!
Why is it blue?
A sapphire crayfish is just a regular, brown papershell crayfish, except for one missing gene. The absence of this specific gene envelops the crayfish with a blue hue on its exoskeleton!
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Shell Shedding
When an electric blue crayfish grows too large for its shell, it will undergo the molting process, where it sheds its shell all at once and then proceeds to hide for several weeks until its new shell comes to be! The Florida crayfish prefers to have hiding places where it can exist peacefully as its new shell hardens.
Types of Habitats
Sapphire crayfish live on the floor in the body of freshwater that they are occupying. They typically reside in areas that are around 70 degrees Fahrenheit; although, wild blue crayfish can tolerate a much wider range of temperatures than domestic blue crayfish can!
Fun Facts
The Redecorator: A properly-cared-for blue crayfish often rearranges its tank by moving all of the objects in the tank around!
Prey: Wild blue crayfish typically eat anything they can catch, such as: shrimp, fish, insects, algae, and even worms!
Mmmmm, exoskeleton!: Blue crayfish sometimes eat their recently shedded exoskeletons after molting!
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