There are two more pairs of mouthparts in front of the maxillipeds, but you cannot see them very well on a living crayfish. They also help to hold the food while it is crushed by the crayfish's strong jaws.

The crayfish eats many of the other animals living near him. Snails and tadpoles appear to be some of his favorite meals. He is also a scavenger, which means that he eats dead and decaying plants and animals. If you have a crayfish in your aquarium, you will find that he is most interesting in the evening. He usually hides during the day and eats at night.

The abdomen of a crayfish is divided into parts or segments and can easily be bent. At the end of the body is a flat tail and two side pieces. These side pieces are called uropods. They can be spread out like fans. When a crayfish is frightened, his uropods move up and down and help to push him through the water.

When he swims, he uses his swimmerets which are attached to the under part of his abdomen. When he is at rest, his swimmerets and some of his mouthparts move constantly to keep a current of water flowing past his gills.

The crayfish can shed his exoskeleton when it becomes too small, because as he grows a new exoskeleton is formed inside the old one. Finally the old covering splits open, and the crayfish pulls himself out of his old coat and walks away in a new one. The new exoskeleton is soft at first, but it soon hardens.

When you find a female crayfish, you may see eggs or even small crayfish attached to her swimmerets. The eggs usually hatch in about two months. The small crayfish may then attach themselves to the swimmerets for a short time before dropping off into the water and beginning life for themselves.