Distribution[edit]

Homarus americanus is distributed along the Atlantic coast of North America, from
Labrador in the north to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in the south.[6] South of
New Jersey, the species is uncommon, and landings in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia
and North Carolina usually make up less than 0.1% of all landings.[7] A fossil claw
assigned to Homarus americanus was found at Nantucket, dating from the Pleistocene.
[8][9] In 2013, an American lobster was caught at the Farallon Islands off the
coast of California.[10]

Description[edit]

Profile of the anterior part of an American lobster

Homarus americanus commonly reaches 8�24 inches (200�610 mm) long and weighs 1�9
pounds (0.45�4.08 kg) in weight, but has been known to weigh as much as 44 lb (20
kg), making this the heaviest crustacean in the world.[11] Together with
Sagmariasus verreauxi, it is also the longest decapod crustacean in the world;[2]
an average adult is about 9 in (230 mm) long and weighs 1.5 to 2 lb (680 to 910 g).
The longest American lobsters have a body (excluding claws) 64 cm (25 in) long.[2]
According to Guinness World Records, the heaviest crustacean ever recorded was an
American lobster caught off Nova Scotia, Canada, weighing 44.4 lb (20.1 kg).[11]
[12]

The closest relative of H. americanus is the European lobster, Homarus gammarus.

The two species are very similar, and can be crossed artificially, although hybrids
are unlikely to occur in the wild since their ranges do not overlap.[13] The two
species can be distinguished by several characteristics:[14]
##The rostrum of H. americanus bears one or more spines on the underside, which are
lacking in H. gammarus.
##The spines on the claws of H. americanus are red or red-tipped, while those of H.
gammarus are white or white-tipped.
##The underside of the claw of H. americanus is orange or red, while that of H.
gammarus is creamy white or very pale red.

Head[edit]

The antennae measure about 2 in (51 mm) long and split into Y-shaped structures
with pointed tips. Each tip exhibits a dense zone of hair tufts staggered in a
zigzag arrangement. These hairs are covered with multiple nerve cells that can
detect odors. Larger, thicker hairs found along the edges control the flow of
water, containing odor molecules, to the inner sensory hairs.[15] The shorter
antennules provide a further sense of smell. By having a pair of olfactory organs,
a lobster can locate the direction a smell comes from, much the same way humans can
hear the direction a sound comes from. In addition to sensing smells, the
antennules can judge water speed to improve direction finding.

Lobsters have two urinary bladders, located on either side of the head. Lobsters
use scents to communicate what and where they are, and those scents are in the
urine. They project long plumes of urine 1�2 meters (3 ft 3 in�6 ft 7 in) in front
of them, and do so when they detect a rival or a potential mate in the area.[16]

Thorax[edit]

The first pair of pereiopods (legs) is armed with a large, asymmetrical pair of
claws.[2] The larger one is the "crusher", and has rounded nodules used for
crushing prey; the other is the "cutter", which has sharp inner edges, and is used
for holding or tearing the prey.[14]

Coloration[edit]

The normal coloration of Homarus americanus is "dark bluish green to greenish

brown," redder on the body and claws, and greener on the legs.[6] This coloration
is produced by mixing yellow, blue, and red pigments.[17] Despite the rarity of
strangely colored lobsters, many more of them are reported being caught. It is
unclear as to whether this is an artifact of social media making reporting and
sharing more accessible, or if it is due to a drop in predator populations.[18]

Color variants

Blue

Yellow

An estimated 1 in 2 million lobsters are blue.[19] A genetic mutation causes a blue

lobster to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein.[20] The protein and
a red carotenoid molecule known as astaxanthin combine to form a blue complex known
as crustacyanin, giving the lobster its blue color.[21] In 2009 a blue lobster was
caught in New Hampshire;[22] in 2011, two blue lobsters were caught in Canada, one
off of Prince Edward Island,[23] and another in the Esgeno�petitj First Nation
territory in New Brunswick;[23] another was caught in May 2012 off Nova Scotia.[24]
A blue lobster was caught off Pine Point in Scarborough, Maine in August 2014, and
was donated to a local aquarium to join three other blue lobsters.[25] In August,
2016, one was caught in Massachusetts off the coast of Cape Cod.[26] In July 2017,
a blue lobster was caught near the New Hampshire-Maine border and was donated to
the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire.[27]

Yellow lobsters are the result of a rare genetic mutation and the odds of finding
one are estimated to be 1 in 30 million.[19][28] Reports of yellow lobsters include
one at the mouth of the Kennebec River off Whaleback Island, Maine, on August 1,
2006,[29] off Prince Edward Island, Canada, on June 11, 2009,[30] one discovered in
Wainani Kai Seafoods in Kalihi, Hawaii in a shipment from Nova Scotia on April 30,
2010,[31] in Narragansett Bay off Rhode Island on July 31, 2010,[17] and one off
the coast of Black Point in Niantic, Connecticut on June 9, 2014.[32]

In July 2010, an albino lobster was reportedly caught in Gloucester.[33] An

estimated only 1 in 100 million lobsters is albino, entirely lacking in colored
pigments.[19][33]

On August 28, 2010, a calico lobster with a mottled orange and black shell was
reported to have been caught in Maine.[34] Only albino lobsters are rarer, and
orange lobsters such as these are a 1 in 30 million catch.[19][35]

Several lobsters have been caught with different colorings on their left and right
halves.[36] For instance, on July 13, 2006, a Maine fisherman caught a brown and
orange lobster, and submitted it to the local oceanarium,[37] which had only seen
three lobsters of this kind in 35 years. The chance of finding one is estimated at
1 in 50 million.[19][38] Many split-colored lobsters observed have been
hermaphroditic chimeras,[39] but not all.[40]

Red lobster coloration is a typical result of cooking. There is a 1 in 10 million

chance of catching a live red lobster.[19][41]

Life cycle[edit]

A female lobster carrying eggs on her pleopods. Note the tail flipper second from
left which has been notched by researchers to indicate she is an active breeding
female.
Mating only takes place shortly after the female has molted, and her exoskeleton is
still soft.[42] The female releases a pheromone which causes the males to become
less aggressive and to begin courtship, which involves a courtship dance with claws
closed.[42] Eventually, the male inserts spermatophores (sperm packets) into the
female's seminal receptacle using his first pleopods; the female may store the
sperm for up to 15 months.[42]

The female releases eggs through her oviducts, and they pass the seminal receptacle
and are fertilized by the stored sperm.[42] They are then attached to the female's
pleopods (swimmerets) using an adhesive, where they are cared for until they are
ready to hatch.[42] The female cleans the eggs regularly, and fans them with water
to keep them oxygenated.[43] The large telolecithal[44] eggs may resemble the
segments of a raspberry,[42] and a female carrying eggs is said to be "in berry".
[42] Since this period lasts 10�11 months, berried females can be found at any time
of year.[2] In the waters off New England, the eggs are typically laid in July or
August, and hatch the following May or June.[44] The developing embryo passes
through several molts within the egg, before hatching as a metanauplius larva. When
the eggs hatch, the female releases them by waving her tail in the water, setting
batches of larvae free.[43]

The metanauplius of H. americanus is 1/3 in (8.5 mm) long, transparent, with large
eyes and a long spine projecting from its head.[42] It quickly molts, and the next
three stages are similar, but larger.[42] These molts take 10�20 days, during which
the planktonic larvae are vulnerable to predation; only 1 in 1,000 is thought to
survive to the juvenile stage.[42] To reach the fourth stage � the post-larva � the
larva undergoes metamorphosis, and subsequently shows a much greater resemblance to
the adult lobster,[44] is around 1/2 in (13 mm) long,[42] and swims with its
pleopods.[44] At this stage, the lobster's claws are still relatively small so they
rely primarily on tail-flip escapes if threatened.[45]

After the next molt, the lobster sinks to the ocean floor, and adopts a benthic
lifestyle.[43] It molts more and more infrequently, from an initial rate of ten
times per year to once every few years.[42] After one year, it is around 1�1.5 in
(25�38 mm) long, and after six years, it may weigh 1 pound (0.45 kg).[42] By the
time it reaches the minimum landing size, an individual may have molted 25�27
times, and thereafter each molt may signal a 40%�50% increase in weight, and a 14%
increase in carapace length.[43] If threatened, adult lobsters will generally
choose to fight unless they have lost their claws.[45]