Crayfish: Mangled by Dog or Dispatched by Dog Owner?

Found in some leaves
Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 7:09 PM
I found my dog attacking one of these last night and it sure does look like a scorpion to me, but living in Indiana I have been led to believe that they are not native to this area. We have recently had a lot of water activity and this was found nighttime on cement…i think they are living in some leaves that blew onto the cement. I would really like to get at least an idea of what type of bug this is.
Ashley H.
North Eastern Indiana

Hi Ashley,
This is a Crayfish or Crawfish, or Crawdad in the South, a freshwater Crustacean that can survive on land, in damp conditions, that is found throughout much of the U.S.  We are uncertain if the mortal wounds were inflicted by your dog or by you, but we are posting this image to our Unnecessary Carnage page nonetheless.  Crayfish are edible and taste much like lobster.