Details
Homarus americanus
The American lobster is a large clawed crustacean of the northwest Atlantic. Unequal heavy claws and a rugged body make it one of the best-known coastal invertebrates.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It ranges from Atlantic Canada to the northeastern United States in cool coastal waters. Rock crevices, reefs, burrows and sandy or muddy bottoms are used from shallow water to deeper grounds.
Adults are commonly 20-64 cm long, and exceptional individuals can exceed 20 kg. One claw is often a heavy crusher while the other is a finer cutter.
Nocturnal by habit, it hides by day under rocks or in burrows. Adults can be territorial, using antennae and claws during encounters.
Clams, urchins, polychaetes, small fishes, crustaceans and carrion are eaten. Strong claws break hard prey as the lobster searches along the bottom.
After mating, females carry eggs under the abdomen for many months. Larvae drift in the plankton before settling to the seafloor.
It supports a major fishery, with management allowing harvest in many areas. Warming seas and disease can shift distribution and fishing grounds.
