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Thursday, April 12, 2012 - Elephant Butte Lake State Park, Elephant Butte NM

Branch, Paseo del Rio, Elephant Butte NM, April 2, 2012
Branch, Paseo del Rio, Elephant Butte NM, April 2, 2012

Night camp

Site 10 - Paseo del Rio Campground - Elephant Butte Lake State Park, Elephant Butte NM

Crayfish Chimney

Late one afternoon I sat upon my camera case beside the path where it wound through the darkest part of the woods, down near the pond, and watched a crayfish building his "chimney," the land entrance to his underwater tunnel. He had just started to work above the ground when I first arrived. He came up through the moist black earth, carrying a ball of it between his two enormous fighting claws. Using the claws as hands, he spread the soil around the hole to form the base of the chimney. He then backed down the hole and after several minutes came up with another armful.

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