Rusty crayfish may not have a nose as such, but they do have an exceptional sense of smell. With a “sniff”, these crustaceans can glean all sorts of information about the world around them. If rusty crayfish can “smell” a predator, such as largemouth bass, it stands to reason the crayfish will seek to reduce their chances of becoming dinner.
A new study in the Canadian Journal of Zoology found crayfish not only detect the presence of a predator as a threat, but before changing their behaviour they also consider how likely it is that a predator will eat them.
This story was written for (and can be read in full at) Canadian Science Publishing.
Header image: Crayfish. Credit Tyler Wood (with permission)