# There are crawdads in my parking lot. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171 "2006-09-18T14:31:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/1 "2006-09-18T14:31:08Z")
I was almost on time this morning as I herded Kizarvexilla out the door this morning for her ride to school. We climbed into the station wagon (lovingly dubbed “Moby”) and set out on our merry way. I had driven no more than 20 feet when I screeched to a halt. What I had thought was a small bird pecking in a puddle turned out to be something else entirely. A crawdad. A really BIG crawdad. Just scuttling through the parking lot, minding his own business. “Okay, _ **that’s** _ weird,” I said, and pointed out our crustacious pedestrian to Kizarvexilla. “I wonder where it came from.” We watched it for a moment, then I prophesied that the poor little critter would be roadkill within the hour, and we resumed along our path. Then I spotted a second one. And a third. And what looked to be a flattened fourth. By the time we left the parking lot, we were both shaking our heads in wonderment. Kizarvexilla was quite excited, as the class she used to belong to at her daycare was called the Crawdads. “Wait until Miss Karen hears about this!” Okay, I’ve only lived in Austin for a year, and it rained quite a lot last night. But is this normal? Or should I presume that these little guys were liberated by PETA during transport to our neighborhood H.E.B.? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/2 "2006-09-18T14:40:24Z")
First of all, they’re _crayfish_. Secondly, eew. I remember I used to pick them up and not have a problem with it. Now I wouldn’t touch one. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/3 "2006-09-18T14:41:26Z")
Supposed to be a smiley after crayfish. Sorry. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/4 "2006-09-18T14:44:15Z")
[QUOTE=Kizarvexius] should I presume that these little guys were liberated by PETA during transport to our neighborhood H.E.B.? [/QUOTE] That’s not a safe assumption these days; they _could_ be terrorist crawdads. I’ve heard that the big ones pinch hard enough to clip off the valve stem of a tire with just one nip. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/5 "2006-09-18T14:47:16Z")
In Middile Tennessee, I’ve seen them make burrows _in the lawn!_ But not everywhere. I suspect ground water or underground streams make this possible. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/6 "2006-09-18T14:48:16Z")
You sure they weren’t [Claw Shrimp](http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/06/19)? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/7 "2006-09-18T14:52:07Z")
It’s mating season; they’re out looking for some tail. Also, after a big rain, their little mudholes might have been washed out. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/8 "2006-09-18T14:52:38Z")
Check out a road on Australia’s [Christmas Island](http://www.wilderness.org.au/images/pix/ci_rdcrabroadA_sm.jpg) when the crabs are on the move. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/9 "2006-09-18T15:37:14Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] Check out a road on Australia’s [Christmas Island](http://www.wilderness.org.au/images/pix/ci_rdcrabroadA_sm.jpg) when the crabs are on the move. [/QUOTE] I _really_ hope I get to see that one day. But I wouldn’t want to [live there](http://www.travel-images.com/view.shtml?christmas-island62.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/10 "2006-09-18T15:41:43Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] First of all, they’re _crayfish_. Secondly, eew. I remember I used to pick them up and not have a problem with it. Now I wouldn’t touch one. [/QUOTE] Texans call 'em crawdads or sometimes crawfish. For a taste delight, kill 'em, whack off their tails and fry 'em–the tail, that is. Tastes like shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/11 "2006-09-18T15:48:58Z")
Well, **Kiz** there’s only one thing to do. Start a large part of water boiling and go crawdad pickin’! There’ll be good eats tonight! ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/12 "2006-09-18T15:49:59Z")
[QUOTE=swampbear] Well, **Kiz** there’s only one thing to do. Start a large part of water boiling and go crawdad pickin’! There’ll be good eats tonight! [/QUOTE] Err… make that large **pot** of water boiling. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dazzling_White_Diamonds)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/13 "2006-09-18T16:02:12Z")
Call 'em crawdads up here in my neck of the woods, too. And we have 'em living in our yard. I think they’re neat. Of course, I’ve never had one attached to any of my bodyparts, either. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/14 "2006-09-18T16:21:22Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] Check out a road on Australia’s [Christmas Island](http://www.wilderness.org.au/images/pix/ci_rdcrabroadA_sm.jpg) when the crabs are on the move. [/QUOTE] Dang. Looks like the Saturday night B flick on the SciFi Channel. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/15 "2006-09-18T16:37:24Z")
I hear you, **Swampy**. I think only the fact that they’d been wandering around in the gasoline soaked parking lot prevented my father (born and raised in Louisiana) from driving over with a bag of rice and a cooking pot. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/16 "2006-09-18T16:49:15Z")
[QUOTE=LouisB] Texans call 'em crawdads or sometimes crawfish. [/QUOTE] Actually, I do know. I’m a Northerner and will be all my life but I did live in TN for a while and they all called them crawdads. And Og knows I’ve read plenty of Southern literature! I was just teasing the OP. And I’ve never eaten one. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/17 "2006-09-18T16:52:11Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] Actually, I do know. I’m a Northerner and will be all my life but I did live in TN for a while and they all called them crawdads. And Og knows I’ve read plenty of Southern literature! I was just teasing the OP. And I’ve never eaten one. [/QUOTE] I was born a danged Yankee myself, but given a hefty Cajun influence via my wife’s biofather, I call them mudbugs… ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/18 "2006-09-18T16:52:51Z")
[QUOTE=swampbear] Well, **Kiz** there’s only one thing to do. Start a large part of water boiling and go crawdad pickin’! There’ll be good eats tonight! [/QUOTE] “Etouffee, Brutus…?” ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/19 "2006-09-18T17:19:34Z")
I’ll bring the corn and 'taters. Anyone have some andouille? ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171/20 "2006-09-18T17:27:29Z")
Upstate New York, Otsego County. Butternut Creek. Crawdaddies as big as … Well, my thumb, anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-crawdads-in-my-parking-lot/373171.md?page=2)