THE LOBSTER

Why know the lobster?

“You know us for the goodness of our meat but we are not just for eating! We could surprise you with everything we can do! Come and meet us!”

How do we distinguish lobsters from other marine animals?

Lobster is a crustacean, not a fish or a mollusc, let's see how to recognize it:

• It has an almost cylindrical body, with a very robust carapace equipped with conical spines.

• The color of Mediterranean lobsters is reddish-brown with yellow streaks on the legs and antennae. That of tropical lobsters is brighter with shades of blue and light blue, especially on the tail and legs.

• Size varies by species, with adults ranging from 20 to 40 cm in length.

• It has many appendages, each with a specific function.

• It has a very robust fan-shaped “tail” that serves for swimming, providing considerable propulsion.

“We are very fast both in hunting and in running away!”

• They have two very long antennae (longer than the body itself) that fold backwards, they are red with yellow streaks.
  

"They have two very long antennae (longer than the body itself) that fold backwards, they are red with yellow streaks."

Lobster out of den

Where the lobster lives

Lobsters live in both temperate and tropical seas, clearly they are different species but still all very recognizable!

• Its Mediterranean habitat is small caves, cracks between rocks and any shaded area that allows it to hide, in fact during the day it always stays in its den while at night it goes hunting, scouring everywhere in search of food. It never reaches great depths but generally stays where the water is cooler, below 20 meters.

• Its tropical habitat is the coral reef, hidden among the corals or inside the caves it shelters from the burning light of the day, resting in view of a night of hunting. Tropical lobsters also live a few meters deep.

• The young, on the other hand, tend to remain hidden among the vegetation or inside large sponges!
  

“We are creatures of habit, we like to have our home and return to it after each night of hunting.”

What does lobster eat?

The lobster is a very skilled predator, the first pairs of legs are associated with the manipulation of food but they do not have claws. They eat other small crustaceans and molluscs, breaking shells and carapaces with their powerful jaws. They do not disdain dead or dying fish and in general everything they can easily grab around them; in fact they are considered omnivorous-detritivorous animals.

The life of the lobster

• The average age of a lobster ranges from 12 to 20 years in the wild. It is estimated based on the size of the animal.

• Lobsters become sexually mature at two years of age.

• The male transfers his sperm through the “spermatophores” near the genital opening of the female and fertilization will occur when the female releases her eggs (external fertilization)

• The female will care for the fertilized eggs by keeping them attached to her abdominal legs until they hatch (about a month).

• Some species of lobster produce up to two million eggs per breeding season!

• From the eggs a planktonic larva will be born which, after a period at the mercy of the current, will sink to the bottom and transform into a mini lobster.

• During a productive season, males mate with multiple females while females mate on average with only one male or at most two.

• The lobster has an external skeleton, called exoskeleton, this does not grow with the animal so it will periodically have to molt and produce a new one. During this time the lobster is very vulnerable because without adequate protection it can easily fall victim to potential predators.

  
  

Lobster moult on shore, Nosy Be, Madagascar.

These all-purpose appendages

The lobster is full of very specialized paired appendages all over its body, let's see what they do:

“they allow us to do so many things, much more than your legs and arms!”

Antennae and antennules

The first two pairs are the antennae and antennules (smaller and closer to the mouth). Antennae play a very important role in communication between specimens: their vibration produces sounds.

Furthermore, they are very important in the perception of the external environment as they are rich in receptors that capture food but also pheromones (signals released by individuals of the same species).

The antennules, on the other hand, have a special structure at their base called statocysts which provide information on any vibrations of the substrate and on the force of gravity.

Mouth appendages and gills

A pair of mandibles for crushing food and two more pairs of maxillas for manipulating it. Another pair of appendages instead carry the gills with which the lobster breathes.

Walking and swimming appendages

At the front the lobster has legs with the specific function of walking on the seabed, while at the back the legs have a swimming function.

Appendices modified for reproduction

The male has two pairs of modified legs to be able to transfer sperm into the female's body during mating.

The Enemies of the Lobster

Many animals prey on the lobster at different stages of its life such as sharks, rays, sea turtles, octopuses, moray eels and fish.

“As you can see, our life is anything but easy!”

For their part, lobsters defend themselves with their tails and antennae. How?

• The tail, as we said, makes them very fast in running away and hiding, the particular fan shape allows for excellent backward propulsion, managing to escape the predator.

• They rub their antennae against a special structure located below their eyes. This rubbing produces a very high-pitched and annoying sound that tends to scare the predator away!
  

“Imagine using a pick on a guitar that is very out of tune!”

“Our terrible singing skills save our lives!”

Lobster or crawfish?

These two animals are often confused… A few little tricks to distinguish them immediately:

• The crawfish has two large claws while the lobster does not.

• The crawfish is dark brown in color, sometimes with bluish streaks.

• The crawfish does not have antennae as pronounced as those of the lobster.

• The crawfish is NOT the male of the spiny lobster but they are two different species: there are male and female lobsters and male and female crawfish!

• It lives deeper, beyond 40-50 m, at the base of the rocky walls where the seabed is sandy. It is precisely between the rock and the sand that it creates its den.

• The dimensions are quite similar, around 40 cm, although some lobsters can reach 50 cm, but they remain rare specimens.
  

“All you have to do is observe us closely, remembering these easy differences!”

Lobster hidden under a rock, Nosy Tanikely reserve, Madagascar.

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