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Lobster

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

A close-up of a European lobster, also known as Hommarus gammarus.

Lobsters are malacostracan decapod crustaceans belonging to the family Nephropidae or its synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with strong tails and live in hidden spots on the ocean floor. Three of their five leg pairs have claws, with the first pair often being much bigger than the others. Because they taste so good, lobsters are a very popular food around the world, bringing in lots of money for people who catch them.

Lobsters awaiting purchase in Trenton, Maine

Some of the most important kinds of lobsters come from the cold waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean. These include two special species from the group called Homarus. There are also other lobster-like creatures known as scampi. These look a bit more like shrimp and are sometimes called "mini lobsters." In the north, they belong to the group Nephrops, while in the south, they are part of the group Metanephrops. All of these creatures are important for seafood lovers and for the communities that depend on catching them.

Distinction

When people talk about "lobster" without any other details, they usually mean the clawed lobsters from the family Nephropidae. These lobsters have special claws on three of their five pairs of legs, with the first pair often being the largest. They are different from other sea creatures called lobsters, like langustas, which don't have claws, and squat lobsters. The closest relatives to clawed lobsters are reef lobsters and freshwater crayfish.

Description

European lobster with cut antennae

Lobsters are invertebrates with a hard protective exoskeleton. Like most arthropods, they must shed their exoskeleton to grow. They have eight walking legs, with the front three pairs having claws, and the first pair of claws is usually larger.

Lobsters have two main body parts: the cephalothorax and the abdomen. The cephalothorax covers the head and thorax and has antennae, mandibles, and compound eyes. The abdomen is used for swimming and includes pleopods and a tail fan. Lobsters have blue blood due to a molecule called hemocyanin, unlike many other animals that have red blood. They also have a green organ called tomalley that acts like a liver and pancreas.

Chart of Atypical Coloring in Lobsters
ColorPrevalenceNotable specimens
Albino1 in 100,000,000
"Cotton Candy"1 in 100,000,000Haddie (2021, Maine)
Blue1 in 1,000,000
to 1 in 2,000,000		Lord Stanley (2019, Massachusetts)(2019, St. Louis) Lucky Blue (2022, Maine)
Calico1 in 30,000,000Eve (2019, Maryland)
Orange1 in 30,000,000Cheddar (2022, Florida), Biscuit (2022, Mississippi), Jean-Clawed Van Damme (2025, New York)
Split-colored1 in 50,000,000
"Halloween"1 in 50,000,000
to 1 in 100,000,000		Pinchy (2012, Massachusetts)
Red1 in 10,000,000
to 1 in 30,000,000
Yellow1 in 30,000,000

Longevity

Lobsters can live up to about 45 to 50 years in the wild. Scientists estimate their age based on size and other factors, and new methods may help them learn even more.

Research shows that lobsters might not get weaker or less fertile as they age. One reason could be a special enzyme called telomerase, which helps repair their DNA. Unlike most animals, lobsters keep making telomerase even when they are grown up, which might help them live longer. The biggest lobster ever caught was in Nova Scotia, Canada, and weighed over 20 kilograms!

Ecology

Lobsters live in oceans around the world, from near shorelines to deep waters. Younger lobsters stay hidden in crevices under rocks, while older ones move to deeper areas and sometimes return to shallower waters depending on the season.

These creatures eat a mix of fish, mollusks, other crustaceans, worms, and plants. They can also eat dead animals they find. Lobsters can move slowly along the sea floor, but when scared, they can swim quickly backward by flipping their tails. Some tiny animals live only on a lobster's gills and mouthparts.

As food

Lobster is commonly served boiled or steamed in the shell. Diners crack the shell with lobster crackers and fish out the meat with lobster picks. The meat is often eaten with melted butter and lemon juice. Lobster is also used in soup, bisque, lobster rolls, cappon magro, and dishes such as lobster Newberg and lobster Thermidor.

Prepared lobster meal with vegetables and chips at a coastal restaurant

Humans have eaten lobster since early history. Large piles of lobster shells near fishing communities show that lobster was a popular food for many years. Lobster became a favorite food in places like Britain, South Africa, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. It was also important in the diet of people living near the coast in Europe. During the Roman period, lobster was a popular delicacy, and it was even used to make dyes and ornaments.

Lobster was first mentioned in cookbooks during the medieval period. It was a popular food among wealthy people and was often served at fancy feasts. Over time, lobster became more widely available, but it was still seen as a special treat. In North America, lobster was not popular at first, but it became a favorite in the 19th century. Today, lobster is enjoyed all over the world in many different dishes.

Fishery and aquaculture

Lobsters are caught using special baited traps with a buoy to mark where the traps are located. These traps can be placed in water from just a few metres deep up to around 900 metres. Lobster fishers often look after many traps at once.

In the United States, there are rules to help lobsters stay safe. For example, lobsters that are too small or have eggs are returned to the sea to keep the population healthy. This helps make sure there are always lobsters for the future.

Species

Lobsters have been around for a very long time, with fossils found from about 140 million years ago. Today, there are 54 different species known in the Nephropidae family. Some well-known lobsters include the American lobster and the European lobster. Other species come from different parts of the world, like the Japanese lobster and the Australian scampi. Each type of lobster has its own special features and habitats, making the group very diverse.

Examples of Nephropidae

Acanthacaris tenuimana

Metanephrops japonicus

Nephropsis rosea

The fossil record of clawed lobsters extends back at least to the Valanginian age of the Cretaceous.

The family Nephropidae includes:

Images

A delicious lobster dish served at Fisherman's Wharf in Boston.
A close-up of cooked lobster meat, showing the claw, knuckle, and tail portions.
A delicious Icelandic lobster dish served with potatoes, vegetables, and dipping sauces at a restaurant in Stokkseyri, Iceland.
A colorful watercolor painting from the 1820s showing a lobster, a crab, and a cucumber by artist William Henry Hunt.
A lobster sitting in a tank at a fish market, waiting for someone to buy it.
A lobster from Thurston’s Lobster Pound in Maine.
A deep-sea shrimp known as Acanthocaris tenuimana, showcasing its unique body shape and long legs.
A close-up of Metanephrops japonicus, a type of lobster found in the ocean.
A close-up of a rosy lobsterette (Nephropsis rosea), a type of deep-sea crustacean.
A female Charybdis japonica crab photographed at Kashima Port.
Delicious Kentish crab rolls — a tasty treat from Kent!

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Lobster, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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