Crayfish, Crawfish, Crawdad: The Biology and Conservation of North America's Favorite Crustaceans

by Zackary A. Graham

Genres: Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I felt the clever title was somewhat misleading, as it made it seem like this book would be about a sociological and cultural history of the impact of crayfish. Instead it was a biological survey of the 700 species of this quite amazing but little understood invertebrate.

I also felt this book was geared more for a school-age audience, as it was a bit condescending at times towards adults with a basic understanding of scientific principles; explaining what a scientific name was as if the reader was a complete layman who had never paid attention to any science classes, for example. The broad-ranging survey aspect could get annoying in that way.

However, overall I enjoyed this because the author's nerdy enthusiasm for crayfish and their conservation really shone through these pages and won me over. It moves between sections describing various aspects of the morphology and ecology of crayfish, punctuated by scenes of color describing the author's collecting trips plunging for these invertebrates in unlikely burrows.

I learned a lot about crayfish and their importance as a keystone species in these pages, and hope to read more nonfiction about science and biology in the coming year. This author shows a lot of promise as a science communicator, the kind of ambassador an endangered species needs. I also enjoyed the interviews with other crayfish biologists and learning more about the efforts at conservation and study of a creature that's not as glamorous as fish and mammals. The naming conventions were only really a small part of the book and I wish I could have learned a little more about that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lexington Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wasn’t a perfect comprehensive guide, but its success as a piece of accessible and important education on a little-known field is amazing and so commendable. As the other reviews have said, Graham’s writing provides a fun introduction to astacology and the way its study can tell us more about ecology, and about our modern conservation crisis on a broader scale. I really enjoyed reading this as someone who loves crayfish already, but I think everyone would like this book.

[Mason Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've loved crawdads (as I grew up calling them) since I first found one at four years old in a stream near my North Carolina home, and I still love finding them in the rivers where I live now in eastern Washington. This is a great introduction to the biology and diversity of crayfish, and deepened my appreciation and understanding of these unassuming critters. The writing is easy to follow, balances curious hope with honest clarity, and is approachable for anyone without a research or science background. What I loved most was the usage of crayfish as a jumping off point for exploring ecosystem biology and environmental conservation, particularly the concept of biomagnification. Similarly, the exploration of a creature's umwelt was particularly enjoyable.

Though not as broad or interconnected as some of the best cases are, this is still good science writing and I think Graham has a promising future in the field. I feel inspired to plan some children's educational programs about Signal Crayfish, our local species here in Spokane, for our summer reading programs in 2026. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fine exploration of crayfish and the life these freshwater crustaceans make for themselves. As a personal note, the only complaint is the fact that discussion of the dietary consumption of these animals is not much included. It is still a fine book.