This species of freshwater crayfish, or yabby, is common throughout south-western Queensland, western New South Wales, Victoria and eastern South Australia. In Queensland, it was originally only found in waters west of the Great Dividing Range and Dawson River, but it is now spreading rapidly through the Brisbane River catchment area. It lives in farm dams, irrigation canals, swamps, creeks, rivers, billabongs and lakes.

The species has been blamed for the collapse of farm dams. The yabbies tunnel into the beds and banks of natural waterways in dry weather to seek moisture and will do the same to dam walls. The walls that collapsed were less than two meters thick.

The colour of this yabby species varies greatly - ranging from pale cream, brown, olive green, deep blue to nearly black. Their claws are slightly darker in colour with patterned or mottled upper palms. The yabbies' size also varies - from 10 cm to 20 cm in length.

Cherax destructor is a scavenger. It eats algae, fresh plants and carrion and will even eat others of its own kind. In turn, the yabby is eaten by fish such as the Murray Cod.

Yabbies mate in water and females attach their eggs to the underside of their tails and carry them around, protecting them, until they hatch.