Of course we don’t want or celebrate invasive species, but at least this one comes with a silver lining – they can be part of your next meal!

Marbled crayfish first appeared in the pet trade in 1995 in Germany. The freshwater crayfish are small and pretty, and soon spread to aquarium stores all over the world, landing in North America in 2004. They’re easy to take care of and have become one of the most widely distributed species of crayfish in the industry. The problem? The brown, blue, and red crustaceans reproduce asexually, and a single female can lay 200-700 eggs at a time. They are a able to thrive in low temperatures and live for 2-3 years, making them ideal candidates to be an invasive species.

These lovely little buggers haven’t been found in the wild in the United States yet, but I have a feeling that it’s just a matter of time. They HAVE been found in the wild on five continents, and are in Canada, and places like the European Union and Japan have banned “the possession, trade, transport, production and release of these species”.

So please, if you have marbled crayfish as a pet, don’t release them when you’re ready to change gears, and if you happen to spot this invasive in the wild, report it immediately.