urban_greenwatch

I spotted this scrap of carrion by the side of the towpath, and thought it was a large insect, then a scorpion (which would really have been strange; no scorpions around here!). Of course, it's a crustacean, a Crayfish -- and from the size and dull colouring I'm guessing that it's one of our native White Clawed Crayfish rather than the larger invasive species, the Signal Crayfish. Mind you, I'm guessing by squinting at the picture on this page, so I might be wrong. White Clawed Crayfish are endangered in the Thames, and very rare, after all. But, Signal or White-clawed, what on earth was one doing dead by a tow-path? It wasn't even on the river side, but tangled in some ivy beside the cricket fields!

Chances are, it was dropped by a predator. Herons and crows both take crayfish, as do minks, rats and otters. I've never seen an otter or a mink in Oxford, but crows, rats and otters are well represented, and all of these may drop a prickly mouthful, especially if disturbed.

The first crayfish I had ever seen on the Thames, and it was dead; once they were so common that everyone along the Thames had a crayfish pot or two, and they were sold in the Oxford market. A dish of crayfish, as scarlet as coral, was not unfrequently seen at a College luncheon... (read on)