Lobster Facts

Here are some fast lobster facts for those who bear interest to the red crustacean that usually graces their plate between a cup of drawn butter and lemon.

Lets begin with lobster fact number 1: Lobsters are invertebrates, members of the Class Crustacea of the Phylum Arthropoda. They are animals without a notochord, and they protect themselves with their hard exoskeleton. Lobsters are ten-legged crustaceans closely related to shrimp and crabs.

Another lobster fact is lobsters have poor eyesight. Their eyes are compound eyes, it consist of hundred of lenses joined together on the ends of pair of jointed organs called stalks. Despite the poor eyesight, they have developed senses of taste and smell through the four small antennae on the front of their heads. The tiny sensory hairs along their legs are used for tasting.

Lobster facts show that lobsters have a reputation for being scavengers; they still prefer live prey like fish, mollusks, worms and crustaceans. They usually hunt for food at night. They can also consume algae and other plant life and sometimes even lobsters especially when they are held in crowded conditions. They chew their food in their stomach, between three grinding surfaces called the “gastric mill.�

Lobsters molt is another lobster fact. Since a lobster shell can't grow, they just molt and form a bigger shell. Before they shed the old shell, they form a thin one underneath. When the molting process starts, they start secreting enzymes that soften the shell. The lobster will struggle out of its old shell, at the same time absorbing water, which expands their body size, a process that lasts for 15 minutes. Every time they molt, they will increase their size about 20%. After the molting process, lobsters eat their old shell to replenish the calcium they lost and speed up the hardening of the new shell. The shell will harden in 6 to 8 weeks and in the mean time they will bury themselves in the mud or hide under the rocks.

Other interesting lobster facts are lobsters can regenerate legs, claws and antennae. In fact they can amputate their own claws and legs to escape danger though it may take 3 to 4 cycles for claws to regenerate. Lobsters also use complicated signals to establish social relationships. They even sometimes walk hand in hand.

These are just a few of lobster facts, one last thing to remember is that lobster comes in variety of colors from the usual olive green, to blue, yellow, red and white. Some even come in two colors, having one half in one color and another half in a different shade, but they all end up the same color when cooked, red.