American Lobster

American Lobster facts at a glance

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Armor and claws

A lobster's body is protected by a hard external skeleton, or exoskeleton, and tipped with two unequal front claws. The larger, blunt crusher claw breaks open shells, while the smaller, sharper pincer claw grips and tears food. To escape danger, a lobster snaps its powerful tail to shoot backward through the water.

Molting and growth

Because its shell cannot stretch, a lobster must molt, shedding its entire exoskeleton to grow a larger one. Young lobsters molt often, while adults may molt only once a year or less. Just after molting the new shell is soft, leaving the lobster vulnerable until it hardens.

Diet and behavior

Lobsters are mostly nocturnal bottom feeders that eat fish, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, and algae, and will scavenge when needed. They shelter in rocky crevices by day and forage at night, using long antennae and sensitive leg hairs to find food in dark water. They can sense their surroundings well despite having a very simple nervous system.

Long life and fishing

American lobsters grow slowly and can live well over 50 years, continuing to grow throughout their lives. They support one of the most valuable fisheries in the North Atlantic, managed with rules on minimum and maximum sizes and protection of egg-bearing females. Healthy populations make them a Least Concern species overall.

Did you know? American Lobster facts

• The American lobster is a large marine crustacean with two powerful front claws, an armored shell, and ten legs.
• American lobsters are long-lived and can survive more than 50 years in the wild. They keep growing throughout their lives by repeatedly molting their shells.
• A live lobster's shell contains a red pigment bound to a protein, which masks the red color. Heat breaks that bond during cooking, releasing the red pigment and turning the shell bright red.
• Lobsters are omnivores that eat fish, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, and algae. They are mostly nocturnal and will also scavenge dead animals on the seabed.
• Lobsters have a large crusher claw for breaking open shells and a smaller, sharper pincer claw for gripping and tearing food. Which side becomes the crusher develops as the lobster grows.
• Conservation: Least Concern (IUCN).

Diet & feeding

American Lobster feeds primarily as a omnivore (fish, mollusks, worms, algae). Lobsters are mostly nocturnal bottom feeders that eat fish, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, and algae, and will scavenge when needed. They shelter in rocky crevices by day and forage at night, using long antennae and sensitive leg hairs to fin

Adaptations

• A lobster's body is protected by a hard external skeleton, or exoskeleton, and tipped with two unequal front claws. The larger, blunt crusher claw breaks open shells, while the smaller, sharper pincer claw grips and tears food. To escape danger, a lobster snaps its powerful tail to shoot backward through the water.
• Because its shell cannot stretch, a lobster must molt, shedding its entire exoskeleton to grow a larger one. Young lobsters molt often, while adults may molt only once a year or less. Just after molting the new shell is soft, leaving the lobster vulnerable until it hardens.

Behaviour & ecology

• A lobster's body is protected by a hard external skeleton, or exoskeleton, and tipped with two unequal front claws. The larger, blunt crusher claw breaks open shells, while the smaller, sharper pincer claw grips and tears food. To escape danger, a lobster snaps its powerful tail to shoot backward through the water.
• Because its shell cannot stretch, a lobster must molt, shedding its entire exoskeleton to grow a larger one. Young lobsters molt often, while adults may molt only once a year or less. Just after molting the new shell is soft, leaving the lobster vulnerable until it hardens.
• Lobsters are mostly nocturnal bottom feeders that eat fish, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, and algae, and will scavenge when needed. They shelter in rocky crevices by day and forage at night, using long antennae and sensitive leg hairs to find food in dark water. They can sense their surroundings well despite having a very simple nervous system.

Communication

• American Lobster uses scent, posture, and vocal signals to mark territory and coordinate social behaviour.
• Communication intensity often peaks during breeding seasons and territorial disputes.

Habitat & range

Cold rocky seabeds of the northwest Atlantic

Ecological role

American Lobster plays a recognised ecological role in cold rocky seabeds of the northwest atlantic.

Conservation status of the American Lobster

Sources & references

This guide is compiled and reviewed against established zoological and conservation references. Key sources for the American Lobster:

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  Conservation status (Least Concern) reflects the IUCN Red List category for Homarus americanus.

• IUCN Red List — Homarus americanus.

  Conservation status (Least Concern) and population trends.

• Animal Diversity Web — Homarus americanus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

  Life history, morphology, and range.

• Wikipedia — American Lobster.

  General taxonomy and overview (cross-check primary sources).

• Global Animal Guide editorial standards

  How we research, source, review, and update every guide for accuracy.