| Freshwater
crayfishes are almost universally known as yabbies in Australia. They vary in colour enormously from dull brown to
bright blue, bright red and variations of that theme.
They feed primarily on fungi in
rotting pieces of plant and animal material and sometimes small
live animals. As a consequence they often live in water
which is murky where children will fish for them with pieces of
meat for bait.
During the warmer months, or in
times when the water supply dries up, yabbies will dig deep
burrows and remain there until the water returns.
The Central Highlands Yabby is one
of the rarer species and is found only in wet forests north-east
of Melbourne.
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