Facts about Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus)

Caribbean spiny lobsters live near rocks or reefs in water no more than 300 feet deep. Much like an army, hundreds of these lobsters march along the ocean floor single file. These lines are as long as 60 miles during their seasonal migrations. How can such large groups stay in line? They use their antennae to communicate and to feel where the lobsters ahead of and behind them are going. They also communicate by sound. The lobsters make noises by rubbing their antennae against small ridges near their eyes.

Female Caribbean spiny lobsters lay their eggs between March and July. The eggs hatch one month later. Newly hatched spiny lobsters are called phyllosomes. These leaf-shaped young don't crawl on the ocean bottom like adult lobsters. Instead, they drift through the water like plankton. They are very different from the adults. For many years, scientists didn't realize that phyllosomes and spiny lobsters were the same species.

When they are about seven months old, phyllosomes change their shape to resemble tiny adult spiny lobsters. At this point, they are less than an inch long. They sink to the ocean floor and quickly double in size. They do this by shedding their shells and growing new ones again and again. They continue to shed their shells as they grow about 1 inch per year throughout their lives. Caribbean spiny lobsters are eaten by groupers and other large fish, as well as by humans.

Length: up to 24 inches
Weight: up to 18 pounds
Diet: mollusks and sea cucumbers
Number of Eggs: up to 4 million
Home: Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Brazil

Posted in Animals, Caribbean Spiny Lobster