Common Yabbie

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Common Yabbie - Alan Henderson (Minibeast Wildlife) | Common Yabbie - Bob Winters

Cherax destructor

Total body length up to 16 cm. Upper shell (carapace) length 7 cm. Broad, spade-like claws. Body generally pale to dark brown in colour.

Details
Type
Invertebrate
Group
Animals
Crustacean
Biology

Nocturnal. Digs deep burrows in the soil, including in levee banks and dam walls. Survives over summer and long droughts in their burrows. Can survive in poor water quality. Prolific breeders when conditions are suitable. Females look after hatchlings for several weeks in a brood chamber under their tail. Life span of 5-7 years.
Distinctive Markings

Smooth exoskeleton (outer shell).
Taxonomy
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Malacostraca
Order
Decapoda
Family
Parastacidae
Genus
Cherax
Species
destructor
Most of Victoria and also the eastern part of South Australia, central and western New South Wales and south-western Queensland.

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

The Common Yabbie is the most hardy Australian yabby able to tolerate muddy conditions, low oxygen levels and a wide range of temperatures.

Interesting Facts
Diet

Omnivore. Mainly eats vegetation, especially rotting leaves and plant detritus, worms and insects.
Habitat

Semi-aquatic. Freshwater creeks, rivers, lakes, farm dams, swamps, floodplains and irrigation channels. They prefer silty shallow water that is slow flowing or still.
Native Status
Native to Australia