Facts about American Lobster (Homarus americanus)

The American lobster is greenish black on top and yellowish underneath. This is its color in the water. When cooked, it turns bright red. Many people love to eat American lobsters. And lobster fishing is an important industry in New England. But overfishing has reduced the number of lobsters. Large lobsters are now rare. Most are caught when they are quite young.

An American lobster has five pairs of legs. The first pair is very large. One of the front legs ends in a sharp, pointed claw. This is known as a pincer. It is used to tear apart dead fish. This is the lobster's favorite food. The other front leg has a heavy, blunt pincer with rounded bumps. It is used to crack clamshells and other hard objects. American lobsters live on the ocean bottom. They are usually found in crevices or burrowed under rocks.

A female lobster produces thousands of eggs each year. The eggs are attached to appendages. These are called swimmerets. They are on the lower side of the female's belly. When the eggs hatch, the larvae swim to the surface of the sea. During the next week, fish eat many of the larvae. Those that survive settle at the bottom of the ocean. There they grow into adults and spend the rest of their lives.

Length: up to 3 feet
Weight: 25 pounds or more
Diet: fish, invertebrates, algae, and eelgrass
Method of reproduction: egg layer
Home: Atlantic Coast of North America

Posted in American Lobster, Animals