Down here in Louisiana, we look forward to spring because spring means crawfish season. The real crawfish boil time rolls in at the same time as Lent. We like to use the loophole of eating crawfish on those Fridays that we are supposed to be avoiding meat. I bet you already know that crawfish is delicious, but you probably didn’t know these 10 weird crawfish facts:
1. Crawfish can drown
Do not place your live crawfish in a bucket of tap water. Got to keep them alive and well until you’re ready to cook them up!
2. Some species of crawfish can live for 20-30 years
And some people keep them as pets…
3. They have specialized gills to breathe out of water
They can survive for a while out of water, especially in humid climates (aka Louisiana weather).
4. There are no crawfish in Africa.
Those poor people don’t know what they’re missing!
5. Louisiana is the first state to have an Official Crustacean and – you guessed it – it's crawfish
Crawfish capital of the world, baby!
6. Male crawfish fight each other for the female during mating season
They may loose a leg or a claw. But don’t worry, it will slowly grow back.
7. Crawfish walk forward and swim backwards
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming….
8. A crawfish’s exterior skeleton is made from calcium-rich chitin, which is similar to human fingernails
Bet you’ll never think of your fingernails the same again.
9. Crawfish come in tons of different colors, even colorless.
Yes, it’s freaky.
10. There are over 330 species of crawfish in North America, but only two types are harvested
I wonder what those other species taste like...
