American Lobster

The American lobster is a large, armoured bottom-dweller of cold Atlantic waters, known for its powerful claws and long, sensitive antennae. It can grow up to 114 cm long and weigh as much as 1.69 kg.

Also known as: northern lobster, canadian lobster, atlantic lobster

This species closely resembles the European lobster. Check the underside of the claw: the American lobster's is orange to red, while the European lobster's is pale cream, a reliable way to tell the two apart.

This lobster has a hard, jointed shell and a pair of large claws used for both defence and feeding. Its long antennae split into branching tips covered in fine hairs that detect smells in the water, letting it track scent trails to food. Common adults reach about 25 cm long, with the largest known individuals far bigger.

It lives along the Atlantic coast of North America, from Labrador south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and has also been introduced to Norway. It favours cold, shallow, rocky areas with plenty of places to hide, usually between 4 and 50 m deep, though it can be found as far down as 480 m.

Mating happens only right after the female moults, while her new shell is still soft. She releases a scent that calms nearby males and starts a courtship display before mating. Afterwards, she carries her fertilised eggs stuck to the swimmerets under her tail, cleaning and fanning them with water until they are ready to hatch, at which point she releases the larvae by waving her tail.

This lobster mainly eats molluscs such as mussels, clams, and snails, along with echinoderms and worms living on the seabed. It will also take crabs, brittle stars, small fish, and dead animals, and sometimes eats algae or eelgrass, adapting its diet to whatever prey is available.

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  European lobster

  Homarus gammarus

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  Hawaiian red reef lobster

  Enoplometopus occidentalis