Rare crayfish bred for the first time in captivity at San Antonio Zoo
A milestone moment for a critically endangered species has taken place at the Center for Conservation & Research at San Antonio Zoo.
Zoo staff have announced the successful birth of 47 critically endangered Oklahoma Cave Crayfish (Cambarus tartarus) in captivity, marking the very first recorded births of this species under human care.
The Oklahoma Cave Crayfish, known as one of the rarest crayfish species in North America, faces grave threats from various sources of pollution, which are compounded by its extremely limited habitat range - the species is confined to several caves within a single county in Northeastern Oklahoma - its vulnerability has reached critical levels.
Since the year 2000, Dr. Dante Fenolio, Vice President of CCR, has spearheaded a collaborative initiative. Together, the team embarked on a capture-mark-release-recapture project aimed at determining population size, lifespan, and habitat preferences.
Zoo staff have successfully established a small colony of the Oklahoma Cave Crayfish within their laboratory, where they are conducting studies on reproductive biology, lifespan, and the development of husbandry and breeding protocols. In a groundbreaking achievement, the lab bore witness to a female crayfish depositing eggs, followed by the successful hatching of these eggs. This remarkable event signifies the first-ever maintenance of this species in a controlled environment and only the second instance of breeding a blind, albino, and "cave-adapted" crayfish.
Tim Morrow, President & CEO of San Antonio Zoo, says, "I couldn't be more proud of the team. Their unwavering dedication and passion have propelled them to achieve remarkable milestones in their projects and research, surpassing all expectations. This team, our conservation partners, and the entire zoo crew are literally working around the clock and relentlessly to save species and our planet."
