WHATSTHATFISH
Crustaceans

European lobster

Homarus gammarus

Also known as: Common Lobster, Hummer

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2011
Adult
@poeticpenguin · The Deep: Aquarium, United Kingdom · January 20131 / 1
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Overview

Found singly or in small squads, during the day hiding in crevices and holes, out foraging for food at night, over hard substrates of lagoons, coral and rocky reefs, and the continental shelf.
Juveniles often found wedged in corals with just the antenna showing.

Lobsters live in caves and crevices during the day, often several together, coming out at night to feed.
Sometimes caught in the torches of divers where they scuttle off back into the dark.
They do not have true claws, the soft and flexible tail is used for swimming rapidly backwards, for short distances to get away from danger.
They have to shed their hard shells to grow, for young lobsters this is several times a year decreasing to once every 1-2 years with maturity around 6 years.
Their life span is about 15 years.
Spiny lobsters are caught in baited lobster pots for gourmet dining.

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How to identify

Pattern
spots

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean, Black Sea
  • Country only · 1
LIVES IN

Found singly or in small squads, during the day hiding in crevices and holes, out foraging for food at night, over hard substrates of lagoons, coral and rocky reefs, and the continental shelf.

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Adult photos 1

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Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumArthropoda
    3. classMalacostraca
    4. orderDecapoda
    5. familyNephropidae
    6. genusHomarus
    7. speciesHomarus gammarus (Linnaeus, 1758)

    SourcesWoRMSWikipedia

    06

    More in the family

    Decapoda