Abstract

A unique behavior of crayfish burrowing was stumbled upon during a study of the physical and chemical properties of vertisols, soils that expand and contract due to shrink-swell clays, in the southern part of Harris County, Texas. Crayfish burrows in this area were believed to continue downward to the depth of the seasonal low water table level and form either terminal chambers or branch outwards to chambers. Using a backhoe, a section was trenched to a depth of 4.5 m that also crosscut several crayfish burrows. The occupied burrows penetrated to a depth of about 150 cm with a water table level in the burrows about 125 cm below the ground surface (along with the crayfish present), while the pit was free of water at a depth of 4.5 m. Unfortunately, crayfish specimens were not collected from the burrows for identification. Field data indicate that these crayfish were living in a perched water table about 125 cm below the surface. The burrows of these crayfish clearly exhibit behaviors related to Type 3 ecological classification of Australian crayfish burrows discussed by Richardson and Horwitz (1986). A portion of these burrows may rest within the phreatic zone of the water table, but during the dry season, the water table is well below the level of the burrows. These types of crayfish burrows also indicate the presence of perched water tables, which adds another dimension to the paleohydrology interpretation in the geologic record.

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