American lobster

American lobster
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Crustacea
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Infraorder:	Astacidea
Family:	Nephropidae
Genus:	Homarus
Species:	H. americanus
Binomial name
	Homarus americanus; H. Milne-Edwards, 1837

^[1]The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is a species of lobster are found in the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.

American Lobster

A large bottom-dwelling crustacean; known for its meat, large claws, and reddish coloring that appears after cooking. Typically they occur from Maine to North Carolina with seven Lobster Conservation Management Areas. The resources and fisheries are managed by both the states and NOAA fisheries.

Appearance

The American Lobster is a crustacean with a shrimp-like body and ten legs. They also have two unequal claws, one with a large, thick crusher that smashes shells and the other as a sharp cutter that can tear flesh. The lobsters have two pairs of antennae, the longer of which is used for sensing and a shorter pair in addition. Known for their coloring, they are usually a greenish-brown, but have been famous for bright coloring that can sometimes be present due to rare genetic mutations. These mutations can cause them to be bright hues of blue, orange, or even calico. Their size can be very large, reaching up to 44 pounds and they can live a long time, even over 100 years [1].

Habitat and Distribution

Their populations are present from Maine to North Carolina within the North Atlantic where they live on rocky seafloors. As climate change is causing waters to rise in temperature, these lobsters are moving deeper due to their preference for cooler waters. The populations are highest in Maine, lowering in abundance moving south [1].

Behavior

This species is generally nocturnal, operating in solitary, and very territorial over their habitats. In the day, they hide in rocky dens while at night they come out to hunt. They are able to use chemoreception, which is the use of chemical sense, to find their food, preferring mollusks, crabs, and more. As the water temperature and seasons change, their activity patterns shift as well. Their specialized claws allow them to be opportunistic omnivores eating crabs, mussels, clams, starfish, sea urchins, fish, and other dead organisms [1].

Females choose males in the reproduction system through a “boxing” ritual. This is a courtship and dominance display where the males use their claws and tails to compete for females. It typically involves chasing, grappling, and tail flips in a dance where the male guards a female after she molts. This dance establishes dominance and winners are able to claim territories or access to females [2].