# Where Do American Lobsters Live?

> Where american lobsters live: Cold rocky seabeds of the northwest Atlantic, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** American Lobster (*Homarus americanus*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Omnivore (fish, mollusks, worms, algae)
- **Habitat:** Cold rocky seabeds of the northwest Atlantic
- **Lifespan:** Often 45–50+ years
- **Top speed:** Up to 18 km/h (11 mph) in a tail-flip escape
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/lobster/where-do-lobster-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/lobster/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The American lobster is a large marine crustacean with two powerful front claws, an armored shell, and ten legs. It lives on the cold, rocky seabeds of the northwest Atlantic and can grow heavier than 9 kg (20 lb). Lobsters molt their shells to grow throughout life and can live more than 50 years, making them among the longest-lived invertebrates.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## 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.

## Help protect the American Lobster

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/lobster/where-do-lobster-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.