Researchers in Brownsville, Texas, have been investigating reports of an Australian red claw crayfish, a crustacean that typically belongs 8,000 miles away after the species was seen pervading southern Texas waters, specifically the Rio Grande Valley.
At present, there are over 400 crayfish species that inhabit waters in the U.S. – a total that amounts to roughly 70 percent of the world’s total species, according to Virginia State University.
Texas Parks & Wildlife officials are concerned that the crayfish species is spreading quickly, causing havoc by outnumbering other native species that exist in the same water.
An invasive species of crayfish has invaded Texas waters, sparking grave wildlife concerns for conservationists.
Around 196 miles of the river, which was designated by Congress in 1978 as “the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River”, meanders through stretches of breathtaking desert and canyons of stratified rock.
