Giant crawdad found in western Kentucky

[festus]

This one is as big as the lobsters you see in the tanks at Kroger.   

https://www.wkyt.com/content/news/Kentucky-water-plant-worker-finds-giant-crayfish-509011881.html

[Crow]

We've got some pretty big ones, in some of the local sloughs....but that thing takes the cake !!

[Ron Jones]

Don't ever think you KNOW anything.
The Man

[Gfish]

Wow!
I when I checked out the article I thought they might be talkin about discharge cooling water from a nuke-plant.

[festus]

After further research, I found that the Green River system and the Barren River system and Shoal Creek near the KY/TN border is home to a unique species of giant crayfish that was discovered 7-8 years ago. Biggest I remember seeing was a big red crawdad I found walking to school back in the 1960s.  It was probably 6" long.  Definitely not he same species.  Makes me wonder how big the smallmouth bass who dine on those big daddys can get?  No doubt, crawdads are the favorite food for smallmouth.

[1badf350]

Festus I think that big boy dines on smallmouths. LOL

[Dominick]

Wow!  Giant river roach.  The only thing bigger is New York roaches.  Dominick

[conchydong]

That guy is all head and no tail but if you "suck the head" before you "pinch the tail" you will already be full.

[mo65]

   Gimmie 2 of those and a pound of butter!

[MarkT]

There are hundreds of crayfish species in the US, more than anywhere else. I've caught some big ones in creeks in Southern Ohio that I worried could take off a finger if I wasn't careful. It wasn't anywhere that big!

[Shark Hunter]

Green River is contaminated with PCB's from Transformers buried underground. I spent a lot of time there. They try to keep it on the DL.

[Gobi King]

Yikes, PCBs, hmm that explains the size of the crawdad. 

I was checking out fishing access on the Detroit river and they had a sign said park closed due to environmental pollution,
Looked up the news and it was ... PCBs

I hear the walleyes are over 8lbs this year!

[philaroman]

absolute nonsense...  of all the F/W aquatic species, crayfish are among THE most sensitive to pollution: an abundant population w/ good size variety, is probably the best layman indicator that the fish are safe to eat...  on the other hand, if you encounter a major die-off (actual meat carcasses -- not, just empty molted shells), fish elsewhere & report a possible spill

[Shark Hunter]

You can call it nonsense if you wish.
I meant no disrespect.
I just know for a fact that Green River is Contaminated with PCB's.
The Green River goes for a long ways.
I only boated and camped there in Kentucky.
My boat was very fast and sleek. I covered every inch of that lake more than once.
There was always fish to be caught, but I saw the Hazardous Buoys and figured it out on my own.
I too doubt this Crawfish has anything to do with it, but I thought it should be addressed.
The transformers were buried a long time ago, but their toxins still leach into the water.
Once I found this out, My Family and I stopped going.
It is a big cover up.
That was 20 years ago.

[philaroman]

gotcha...  significant side-note, unrelated to craw size

just sayin' it had to live in some very clean water for many years, to get anywhere near max. size

where the carcass ended up downstream, could be a very different environment