Biologists call cancers all representatives of the crustacean subtype: they include crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and crayfish. But in everyday life, lobsters are marine crustaceans, and crayfish are river dwellers. They also differ in body structure, size, meat flavor, and how it is cooked.
Biological classification of crayfish and lobsters
Both lobsters and crayfish belong to the same subtype of crustaceans, which are representatives of arthropods. The class of these animals is also the same - higher crayfish, and they also belong to the same orders of decapod crayfish. Further, this order is divided into several infraorders, among which the representatives of Astacidea stand out - they include both lobsters and crayfish.
And only the next link in the classification of these animals is different: they belong to different families. More precisely, lobsters are a whole family of different species of marine arthropods, and numerous species of crayfish are also combined into a separate family.
Similarities and differences between crayfish and lobster
The structure of the body in crayfish and lobsters is very similar: they have the same number of tentacles, have claws on the first pair of limbs, a hard shell, well-defined segments and appendages.
Both in those and in other species, sexual dimophrism is expressed - males are usually larger in size.
Lobster differs from cancer in large claws on the forelimbs: in crayfish with the same body size, they are two to three times smaller. In general, most lobster species are often larger than nearly all crayfish. So, in the Guinness Book of Records a record was recorded - the weight of the largest lobster caught was more than twenty kilograms. No cancer can be that size.
Another major difference is the habitat. Crayfish are found only in freshwater bodies of water, mainly in rivers, while lobsters live in the seas.
The rest of the differences between these two crustaceans are significant only for humans. The fishing for representatives of these two families has been conducted since ancient times. Crayfish and lobster have a similar taste, but a slightly different flavor: lobsters are more tender and piquant, while crayfish are slightly bland.
But in general, both are appreciated for their characteristic juicy and pleasant taste, although lobster is considered a more refined delicacy.
They are also prepared in different ways. Crayfish are more often boiled with spices, and lobsters are grilled or baked (although they can also be cooked). The former are rarely used in other dishes, while the latter are used to make soups, soufflés, and mousses. From both, you can make a sauce with a characteristic taste of seafood: for this, the broth must be mixed with butter and a little flour. Spices such as caraway, pepper, dill, and cloves are well suited to crayfish. Lobster requires more complex flavors: paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme. If river crustaceans go well with beer, then it is better to serve table wine with sea ones.
