A Giant Among CrayfishThis gallery is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues.The next crayfish boil in Shoal Creek, Tennessee, could be a big one. Scientists working there have found a new species of crayfish that is meatier than all of its competitors.Barbicambarus simmonsi is nearly 5 inches long—almost twice the size of a typical crayfish found in the region.
Aquatic biologists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Eastern Kentucky University found the unusual new species hiding under rocks in a deep part of the creek. Species of the Barbicambarus genus have uncommon "bearded" antennae covered with fine bristles that enhance their sensory capacity.The new species is described in a paper in the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington.--Tasha Eichenseher
Photograph courtesy L. Brian Stauffer, University of Illinois

Photos: New Giant "Bearded" Crayfish Species

Scientists have found a unique new species of crayfish in Tennessee and Alabama that is twice the size of other crayfish in the southeastern U.S.

January 23, 2011