Head to head
White-clawed Crayfish vs European Lobster
White-clawed Crayfish
VS European Lobster
The white-clawed crayfish is often described as a tiny freshwater lobster, and setting it beside the European lobster shows how much the two clawed crustaceans share.
| White-clawed Crayfish | European Lobster | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Austropotamobius pallipes | Homarus gammarus |
| Relationship | A freshwater clawed crustacean, a cousin of the lobsters | A marine clawed lobster, a cousin of the crayfish |
| Habitat | Clean, hard-water streams and rivers with stony beds | Holes and crevices on rocky seabeds, from the shore to deep water |
| Size | Usually around 8 to 12 cm long | A large animal that grows slowly by moulting its shell |
| Colour | A brown to olive body, with claws that are pale underneath | Mottled blue-black in life, turning red when cooked |
| Activity | Hides in holes and under stones in the day and forages after dark | Hides in crevices by day and comes out at night to hunt |
| Eggs | The female carries her eggs, and later the tiny young, under her tail for many weeks | The female carries her fertilised eggs under her tail for many months until they hatch |
| Conservation status | Endangered, because of crayfish plague carried by invading American crayfish | Least Concern, with local stocks managed by size limits and protected areas |
White-clawed Crayfish vs European Lobster: common questions
Is a crayfish a small lobster?
They are cousins, both clawed crustaceans, but the crayfish lives in fresh water and the lobster lives in the sea.
Which one is endangered?
The white-clawed crayfish, which has been devastated by crayfish plague, while the European lobster is Least Concern.
Do both carry their eggs?
Yes, the females of both carry their fertilised eggs under the tail until they hatch.