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57-603: It rises in several forks in the Crazy , Little Belt , and Castle mountains in central Montana. The main branch is formed by the confluence of the North Fork and South Fork in Meagher County , about 25 miles (40 km) east of White Sulphur Springs, Montana , just east of Martinsdale , north of Martinsdale Reservoir, and just west of Meagher County's border with Wheatland County . The North Fork flows south from

114-427: A crab, lobster, or prawn (shrimp), is made up of twenty body segments grouped into two main body parts, the cephalothorax and the abdomen . Each segment may possess one pair of appendages , although in various groups, these may be reduced or missing. On average, crayfish grow to 17.5 cm (6.9 in) in length. Walking legs have a small claw at the end. Crayfish are opportunistic omnivorous scavengers, with

171-462: A day-to-day basis, they consume what they can acquire in their immediate environment in limited space and time available - detritus . At a microbial level, the FPOM has a high surface area of organic particles and consists of a plethora of substrate and bacteria , fungi , micro-algae , meiofauna , partially decomposed organic material and mucus. This mucus or "slime" is a biofilm and can be felt on

228-661: A distance of 40 miles (64 km), the Crazy Mountains are located between the Musselshell and Yellowstone rivers. The highest peak is Crazy Peak at 11,214 feet (3,418 m). Rising over 7,000 feet (2,130 m) above the Great Plains to the east, the Crazies dominate their surroundings and are plainly visible just north of Interstate 90 . The Crazy Mountains form an isolated island range east of

285-499: A dozen genera . It is home to the world's three largest freshwater crayfish: Many of the better-known Australian crayfish are of the genus Cherax , and include the common yabby ( C. destructor ), western yabby ( C. preissii ), and red-claw crayfish ( C. quadricarinatus ). The marron species C. tenuimanus is critically endangered , while other large Australasian crayfish are threatened or endangered. In New Zealand , two species of Paranephrops are endemic, and are known by

342-510: A greater understanding of the creatures. The Protivin brewery in the Czech Republic uses crayfish outfitted with sensors to detect any changes in their bodies or pulse activity in order to monitor the purity of the water used in their product. The creatures are kept in a fish tank that is fed with the same local natural source water used in their brewing. If three or more of the crayfish have changes to their pulses, employees know there

399-502: A large igneous intrusion, forms the bedrock in the Crazy Mountains. The stock is of Tertiary age, and consists of diorite and gabbro with zones of Quartz Monzodiorite, and which has been intruded by many dikes and sills . Geological features of the Crazy Mountains include: Due to the eastern location, these mountains are drier and less densely forested than other mountain ranges in Montana. There are at least 40 alpine lakes in

456-452: A similar way to mammals. Then the stress hormone cortisol is released and this leads to the formation of lactic acid in the muscles, which makes the meat taste sour. Crayfish can be cooked more humanely by first freezing them unconscious for a few hours, then destroying the central nervous system along their abdomen by cutting the crayfish lengthwise with a long knife down the center of the crayfish before cooking it. Global crayfish production

513-425: A small portion of the diet by volume. They feed on submerged vegetable material at times, but their ability to catch large living animal material is restricted. They can feed on interstitial organisms if they can be grasped in the small feeding claws. They can be lured into traps with an array of baits from dog biscuits, fish heads, meat, etc., all of which reinforces the fact that they are generalist feeders. On

570-462: A variety of ray-finned fishes , and are commonly used as bait , either live or with only the tail meat. They are a popular bait for catching catfish , largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , striped bass , perch , pike and muskie . When using live crayfish as bait, anglers prefer to hook them between the eyes, piercing through their hard, pointed beak which causes them no harm; therefore, they remain more active. When using crayfish as bait, it

627-654: Is a potential for ecological damage when crayfish are introduced into non-native bodies of water: e.g., crayfish plague in Europe, or the introduction of the common yabby ( Cherax destructor ) into drainages east of the Great Dividing Range in Australia. Some public schools in the United States keep live crayfish in the classroom and have the students take care of them in order to give the students

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684-708: Is also mentioned in Larry McMurtry 's classic 1985 novel Lonesome Dove . Roundup is home to the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum, which documents the region's history. Crazy Mountains The Crazy Mountains , often called the Crazies , is a mountain range in the Central Montana Alkalic Province in the U.S. state of Montana . They are a part of the northern Rocky Mountains . Spanning

741-471: Is caused by the North American water mold Aphanomyces astaci. This water mold was transmitted to Europe when North American species of crayfish were introduced. Species of the genus Astacus are particularly susceptible to infection, allowing the plague-coevolved signal crayfish (native to western North America) to invade parts of Europe . Acid rain can cause problems for crayfish across

798-591: Is centered in Asia, primarily China. In 2018, Asian production accounted for 95% of the world's crawfish supply. Crayfish is part of Swedish cuisine and is usually eaten in August at special crayfish parties ( Swedish : Kräftskiva ). Documentation of the consumption of crayfish dates to at least the 16th century. On the Swedish west coast, Nephrops norvegicus ( Havskräfta , lit.   ' sea crayfish ' )

855-406: Is fed largely by snowmelt and has its highest flow rates in the spring and early summer. The Musselshell River Basin, including tributaries, drains 108,268 acres (438.1 km). The South Fork has much brush, gravel bars, and clear water. The North Fork has willow trees and undercut banks. The Musselshell is about 60 feet (20 m) wide at its confluence of the two forks. Three reservoirs built in

912-751: Is found in the Pacific Northwest and the headwaters of some rivers east of the Continental Divide . Many crayfish are also found in lowland areas where the water is abundant in calcium , and oxygen rises from underground springs. Crayfish are also found in some non-coastal wetlands; eight species of crayfish live in Iowa , for example. In 1983, Louisiana designated the crayfish, or crawfish as they are commonly called, as its official state crustacean. Louisiana produces 100 million pounds (45 million kilograms) of crawfish per year with

969-537: Is important to fish in the same environment where they were caught. An Illinois State University report that focused on studies conducted on the Fox River and Des Plaines River watershed stated that rusty crayfish , initially caught as bait in a different environment, were dumped into the water and "outcompeted the native clearwater crayfish". Other studies confirmed that transporting crayfish to different environments has led to various ecological problems, including

1026-467: Is in the end phase of decomposition and is recognised as black organic mud. The crayfish usually ingest the material in only a few minutes, as distinct from grazing for many hours. The material is mixed with digestive fluids and sorted by size. The finer particles follow a slower and more exacting route through to the hindgut , compared to the coarser material. The coarser material is eliminated first and often reappears in approximately 10 to 12 hours, whereas

1083-484: Is more commonly eaten while various freshwater crayfish are consumed in the rest of the country. Prior to the 1960s, crayfish was largely inaccessible to the urban population in Sweden and consumption was largely limited to the upper classes or farmers holding fishing rights in fresh water lakes. With the introduction of import of frozen crayfish the crayfish party is now widely practiced across all spheres in Sweden and among

1140-651: Is running, while others thrive in swamps , ditches, and paddy fields . Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water , although some species, such as Procambarus clarkii , are hardier. Crayfish feed on animals and plants, either living or decomposing , and detritus . The term "crayfish" is applied to saltwater species in some countries . The name "crayfish" comes from the Old French word escrevisse ( Modern French écrevisse ). The word has been modified to "crayfish" by association with "fish" ( folk etymology ). The largely American variant "crawfish"

1197-401: Is said to be a shortened form of the name "Crazy Woman Mountains" given them, in complement to their original Crow name, after a woman who went insane and lived in them after her family was killed in the westward settlement movement. The Crow people called the mountains Awaxaawapìa Pìa , roughly translated as "Ominous Mountains", or even more roughly, "Crazy Mountains". They were famous to

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1254-492: Is similarly derived. Some kinds of crayfish are known locally as lobsters , crawdads, mudbugs, and yabbies . In the Eastern United States , "crayfish" is more common in the north, while "crawdad" is heard more in central and southwestern regions, and "crawfish" farther south, although considerable overlaps exist. The study of crayfish is called astacology. The body of a decapod crustacean , such as

1311-650: Is used extensively for irrigation for farming and ranching and due to that may run dry or nearly dry in many sections during much of the summer and fall. Water supply is less in the lower basin due to the more arid climate and the fact that users in the upper basin have senior rights to the water. Fishing is popular along most parts of the Musselshell. Species of fish found on the North and/or South Forks down to Harlowton include: mountain whitefish , and brown , cutthroat , rainbow , and brook trout . The eastern part of

1368-619: The Continental Divide . Other isolated ranges in Montana include the Castle Mountains , Little Belt Mountains , Big Snowy Mountains , Little Snowy Mountains , Bears Paw Mountains , Judith Mountains , North and South Moccasin Mountains , Highwood Mountains , Little Rocky Mountains , Sweet Grass Hills , Bull Mountains and, in the southeastern corner of the state near Ekalaka , the Long Pines . The Big Timber Stock ,

1425-622: The Italian agile frog and the painted frog in Malta . Crayfish are eaten worldwide. Like other edible crustaceans, only a small portion of the body of a crayfish is eaten. In most prepared dishes, such as soups, bisques and étouffées , only the tail portion is served. At crawfish boils or other meals where the entire body of the crayfish is presented, other portions, such as the claw meat, may be eaten. Research shows that crayfish do not die immediately when boiled alive, and respond to pain in

1482-646: The Late Triassic (~230-200 million years ago) Chinle Formation of North America, assigned to the species " Enoploclytia " porteri and Camborygma eumekenomos, which are not assigned to any modern families. An indeterminate member of the modern family Cambaridae is known from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America. The earliest records of other modern families date to the Early Cretaceous, including

1539-531: The Māori name kōura . In Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa , the term "crayfish" or "cray" generally refers to a saltwater spiny lobster , of the genus Jasus that is indigenous to much of southern Oceania , while the freshwater species are usually called yabbies or kōura , from the indigenous Australian and Māori names for the animal, respectively, or by other names specific to each species. Exceptions include western rock lobster (of

1596-566: The National Park Service as well as video and anecdotal reports by aquarium owners indicate that crayfish will eat their moulted exoskeleton "to recover the calcium and phosphates contained in it." As omnivores, crayfish will eat almost anything; therefore, they may explore the edibility of aquarium plants in a fish tank. However, most species of dwarf crayfish, such as Cambarellus patzcuarensis , will not destructively dig or eat live aquarium plants. In some nations, such as

1653-609: The Northern Hemisphere and one in the Southern Hemisphere . The Southern Hemisphere ( Gondwana -distributed) family Parastacidae , with 14 extant genera and two extinct genera, live(d) in South America , Madagascar , and Australasia . They are distinguished by the absence of the first pair of pleopods . Of the other three Northern Hemisphere families (grouped in the superfamily Astacoidea ),

1710-692: The Palinuridae family) found on the west coast of Australia (it is a spiny lobster, but not of Jasus) ; the Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish (from the Parastacidae family and therefore a true crayfish) found only in Tasmania; and the Murray crayfish found along Australia's Murray River . In Singapore , the term crayfish typically refers to Thenus orientalis , a seawater crustacean from

1767-679: The Swedish-speaking population of Finland . In the United States, crayfish production is strongly centered in Louisiana , with 93% of crayfish farms located in the state as of 2018. In 1987, Louisiana produced 90% of the crayfish harvested in the world, 70% of which were consumed locally. In 2007, the Louisiana crayfish harvest was about 54,800 tons, almost all of it from aquaculture . About 70–80% of crayfish produced in Louisiana are Procambarus clarkii (red swamp crawfish), with

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1824-487: The United Kingdom , United States , Australia , and New Zealand , imported alien crayfish are a danger to local rivers. The three most widespread American species invasive in Europe are Faxonius limosus , Pacifastacus leniusculus and Procambarus clarkii . Crayfish may spread into different bodies of water because specimens captured for pets in one river are often released into a different catchment. There

1881-702: The parastacid Palaeoechinastacus from Australia which is 115 million years old, the cambaroidid Palaeocambarus from the Yixian Formation of China which is likely around 120 million years old ( Barremian - Aptian ), and the astacid " Austropotamobius " llopisi from the Las Hoyas site in Spain (Barremian). Crayfish are susceptible to infections such as crayfish plague and to environmental stressors including acidification. In Europe, they are particularly threatened by crayfish plague, which

1938-447: The red swamp and white river crawfish being the main species harvested. Crawfish are a part of Cajun culture dating back hundreds of years. A variety of cottage industries have developed as a result of commercialized crawfish iconography. Their products include crawfish attached to wooden plaques, T-shirts with crawfish logos, and crawfish pendants, earrings, and necklaces made of gold or silver. Australia has over 100 species in

1995-524: The slipper lobster family. True crayfish are not native to Singapore, but are commonly found as pets, or as an invasive species ( Cherax quadricarinatus ) in the many water catchment areas, and are alternatively known as freshwater lobsters . In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the terms crayfish or crawfish commonly refer to the European spiny lobster , a saltwater species found in much of

2052-665: The 1930s help control the river's flow: Bair Reservoir on the North Fork, Martinsdale Reservoir near the confluence, and Deadman's Basin on the main river between Shawmut and Ryegate . The river becomes wider in the 50 miles (80 km) before Roundup. Honeysuckle , wild rose , willow, and cottonwood are common in this section. The river is about 100 feet (30 m) wide in its last 90 miles (140 km), with increased choppiness and flow rate. The relatively more arid climate in this section results in less vegetation, more livestock grazing, and poorer soil. Additional tributaries of

2109-586: The Cottonwood Creek, a Musselshell tributary. There was major flooding on the Musselshell River in May 2011. On May 26 the flooding inundated portions of Roundup . Cresting and flow rate records were set along several sections of the river, such as Mosby and Shawmut, near Harlowton . The crest of the flood at 14.16 feet (4.32 m), more than 4 feet (1.2 m) over flood state, exceeded

2166-491: The Crow people for having metaphysical powers and being unpredictable—a place used for vision quests . Crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea , which also contains lobsters . Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea . They breathe through feather-like gills . Some species are found in brooks and streams, where fresh water

2223-669: The East Atlantic and Mediterranean. The only true crayfish species native to the British Isles is the endangered white clawed crayfish . Fossil burrows very similar in construction to those of modern crayfish and likely produced by early crayfish are known from the Early Permian (~300-270 million years ago) of equatorial Pangea , in what is now North America ( Washington Formation ), and Europe ( Sardinia ). The oldest body fossils assigned to crayfish are known from

2280-727: The Little Belt Mountains through Bair Reservoir, then southeast. The South Fork flows northeast from the Crazy Mountains. From the confluence of these two waterways, the main branch flows roughly due east past Two Dot , Harlowton , and Roundup , then turns north just past Melstone , and continues to the UL Bend on the Missouri River at the beginning of Fort Peck Reservoir . The Musselshell River has also been known as: Cockkleshell River, Mahtush-ahzhah, Muscleshell River, Mustleshell River, Shell River. The Musselshell

2337-522: The Musselshell include: Middle Fork, Bozeman Fork, Dry Fork, American Creek Fork, Big Elk Creek, Careless Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Flat Willow Creek, Hopley Creek, Spring Creek, Swimming Woman Creek, and Willow Creek. Recreational use of the Musselshell averages 63,000 visitor-days per year. Much of the water on the Musselshell is decreed water and managed by the Musselshell River Distribution Project. The Musselshell

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2394-426: The ability to filter and process mud. In aquaculture ponds using isotope analysis they were shown to build body tissue selectively from the animal protein portion of pelleted food and not the other components of the pellet. They have the potential to eat most foods, even nutrient poor material such as grass, leaves, and paper, but can be highly selective and need variety to balance their diet. The personalities of

2451-497: The area again in 1935, but reported that a national park would not be feasible because "half of the land, every alternate section, is owned by the Northern Pacific Railroad or is in private hands." The Crazies are almost completely surrounded by private lands making access into the mountains somewhat difficult, especially in the southern section where the highest peaks are located. The name Crazy Mountains

2508-411: The diet of these creatures was considered too complex since the first book ever written in the field of zoology, The Crayfish by T.H. Huxley (1879), where they were described as " detritivores ". This is why most researchers have not attempted to understand the diet of freshwater crayfish. The most complex study which matched the structure and function of the whole digestive track with ingested material

2565-505: The elimination of native species. Transporting crayfish as live bait has also contributed to the spread of zebra mussels in various waterways throughout Europe and North America, as they are known to attach themselves to exoskeleton of crayfishes. Crayfish are kept as pets in freshwater aquariums. They prefer foods like shrimp pellets or various vegetables, but will also eat tropical fish food, regular fish food, algae wafers, and small fish that can be captured with their claws. A report by

2622-542: The finer material is usually eliminated from 16 to 26 hours after ingestion. All waste products coming out through the hindgut are wrapped in a peritrophic membrane , so they look like a tube. Such an investment in the wrapping of the microbial free faeces in a protein rich membrane is most likely the reason they are coprophagic. Such feeding behaviour based on selection, ingestion, and extreme processing ensures periodic feeding, as distinct from continuous grazing. They tend to eat to satiation and then take many hours to process

2679-422: The four genera of the family Astacidae live in western Eurasia and western North America , the 15 genera of the family Cambaridae live in eastern North America , and the single genus of Cambaroididae live in eastern Asia . The greatest diversity of crayfish species is found in southeastern North America, with over 330 species in 15 genera, all in the family Cambaridae. A further genus of astacid crayfish

2736-551: The individual crayfish can be a key determinant in the food preference behaviour in aquaria. Crayfish all over the world can be seen in an ecological role of benthic dwellers, so this is where most of their food is obtained - at the sediment/water interface in ponds, lakes, swamps, or burrows. When the gut contents are analysed, most of the contents is mud: fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) and mixed particles of lignin and cellulose (roots, leaves, bark, wood). Some animal material can also be identified, but this only contributes

2793-425: The material, leaving minimal chance of having more room to ingest other items. Crayfish usually have limited home range and so they rest, digest, and eliminate their waste, most commonly in the same location each day. Feeding exposes the crayfish to risk of predation, and so feeding behaviour is often rapid and synchronised with feeding processes that reduce such risks — eat, hide, process and eliminate. Knowledge of

2850-464: The range, 15 of which are named. The Crazy Mountains sit in both Gallatin National Forest and Lewis and Clark National Forest . The Crazies support a healthy herd of mountain goats and the occasional elusive wolverine . In 1916, the Crazy Mountains were proposed as a location for a national park, but Congress failed to pass the legislation. National Park Service officials considered

2907-504: The record previously set in 1975. The Musselshell region is where the last surviving herds of wild American buffalo lived. Zoologist William Temple Hornaday of the Smithsonian Institution harvested specimens from the region in 1886 so that future generations would know what the buffalo looked like. The Musselshell was mentioned by both Del Gue and Jeremiah Johnson in the film Jeremiah Johnson . The Musselshell

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2964-437: The remaining 20–30% being Procambarus zonangulus (white river crawfish). Optimum dietary nutritional requirement of freshwater crayfish, or crayfish nutrient specifications are now available for aquaculture feed producers Like all crustaceans, crayfish are not kosher because they are aquatic animals that do not have both fins and scales . They are therefore not eaten by observant Jews . Crayfish are preyed upon by

3021-443: The river has channel catfish , sauger , smallmouth bass , and walleye due to the warmer water caused by dewatering from irrigation and the arid climate shift from mountain to prairie ecosystems in the Musselshell's last 90 miles (140 km). There are three different species of freshwater mussels as well as crawdads . The Gordon Butte Pumped Storage Project is a planned pumped hydroelectric power plant that will use water from

3078-434: The surface of leaves and sticks. Also crayfish have been shown to be coprophagic - eating their own faeces, they also eat their own exuviae ( moulted carapace ) and each other. They have even been observed leaving the water to graze. Detritus or mud is a mixture of dead plankton (plant and animal), organic wastes from the water column , and debris derived from the aquatic and terrestrial environments. Mostly detritus

3135-641: The world. In whole-ecosystem experiments simulating acid rain at the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario, Canada , crayfish populations crashed – probably because their exoskeletons are weaker in acidified environments. In several countries, particularly in Europe, native species of crayfish are under threat by imported species, particularly the signal crayfish ( Pacifastacus leniusculus ). Crayfish are also considered an invasive predatory species, endangering native European species such as

3192-612: Was entered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition on May 20, 1805 and named by them for the freshwater mussels lining the bank, noting in their journals that the Minnetare people had given the waterway a similar name. The Blackfeet , who hunted buffalo and prepared the meat for winter in the Musselshell area, called it the Dried Meat River. The terrain varies from the mountainous island ranges where it originates to prairie. It

3249-519: Was performed in the 1990s by Brett O'Brien on marron , the least aggressive of the larger freshwater crayfish with aquaculture potential, similar to redclaw and yabbies. Crayfish are closely related to lobsters , and together they belong to the infraorder Astacidea . Their phylogeny can be shown in the simplified cladogram below: Enoplometopidae Nephropidae Parastacidae Cambaroididae Astacidae Cambaridae Four extant (living) families of crayfish are described, three in

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