Appearance and lifestyle:
Shoveller crayfish (Scyllarides elisabethae) have dull brown bodies that has a rough texture with an orange pattern, t6heir legs are banded with vermilion and their antennae are short, broad and flat. They can grow up to 25cm, and they are named for their habit of ‘shovelling’ through sediment in search of worms and molluscs.
Habitat:
Found off the south coast of South Africa and live in deep water to depths of 150m, but occasionally also seen inshore in shallow water.
Diet:
They feed on worms and molluscs.
Threats:
Habitat loss, predators, climate change etc.
Named for their habit of “shoveling” through sediment
Also called the slipper crayfish or shovel-nosed crayfish
They are mostly nocturnal animals