Homarus gammarus

The European lobster lives in the sea.

These animals are blue in the water. They only turn red when they are cooked.

They have two big claws. One claw is for crushing food. The other claw is for tearing food. Mothers carry their eggs for a long time. The eggs hatch into tiny babies. These babies drift in the ocean waves.

People catch them using special pots.

The European lobster is a large sea animal.

It lives in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. These lobsters are mostly blue in the water. They only turn red when they are cooked. This happens because heat breaks apart a red pigment. This pigment is called astaxanthin.

Lobsters have a hard outer shell. They must shed this shell to grow. This way of shedding is called ecdysis, or molting. Young lobsters may molt many times each year. Larger lobsters molt only once every one to two years.

They have two very different claws. One claw is the crusher. It has round bumps to smash food. The other claw is the cutter. It has sharp edges to tear food.

Female lobsters carry their eggs for up to a year. When the eggs hatch, they become tiny larvae. These larvae drift in the ocean currents.

Only one in every 20,000 larvae survives to become an adult.

People catch these lobsters using lobster pots.

They are a very popular food in many places.

The European lobster is a large animal that lives in the sea.

You can find them in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. They also live in parts of the Black Sea. These lobsters are usually blue with yellow on their undersides. They only turn red after they are cooked. This happens because heat breaks apart a red pigment called astaxanthin. This pigment is usually tied to a protein in the living lobster.

Growing up is a big job for a lobster. They have a hard outer shell called an exoskeleton. To get bigger, they must shed this shell through a process called ecdysis. This is also known as molting. Young lobsters might molt several times in one year. As they get older, they molt much less often. Larger lobsters might only molt once every one or two years. They use their two different claws to help them eat. One claw is the crusher, which has round bumps to smash prey. The other claw is the cutter, which has sharp edges to tear food.

Scientists have studied these creatures for a long time. A man named Carl Linnaeus first gave them a scientific name in 1758. At that time, he called them Cancer gammarus. He put them in a group called Cancer because he thought all large crustaceans belonged there. Later, a man named Friedrich Weber described the genus Homarus in 1795. There was some confusion about names for many years. Eventually, a scientist named Lipke Holthuis chose a specific specimen to represent the species in 1974. That specimen came from a place near Marstrand, Sweden.

European lobsters live in many different places.

Some live in the cold waters of northern Norway. These are called the "midnight-sun lobsters." Other groups live in the Mediterranean Sea or the Netherlands. In 2008, people caught 4,386 tonnes of these lobsters across Europe and North Africa. Most of that catch, about 79 percent, came from the British Isles.

They usually live on the ocean floor at depths between 20 and 150 meters. They like to hide in holes or cracks in rocks and mud.

Humans have a long history with these lobsters. They are considered a very tasty food. In the 1600s, an English folk song called "The Crabfish" mentioned them. People often catch them using lobster pots.

Fishermen also sometimes use lines with bait like octopus to catch them. To keep the species safe, people use a rule called the "v-notch." If a female is carrying eggs, fishermen make a small notch in her tail. This helps protect her so she can keep breeding for several years. This helps make sure there are always lobsters in the sea.

The European lobster, known scientifically as Homarus gammarus, is a large crustacean.

This species lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It can also be found in parts of the Black Sea. These animals are highly valued by humans as a foodstuff. They play an important role in the marine ecosystems where they live. Understanding their biology helps us protect them and manage their populations.

To grow, the lobster must undergo a process called ecdysis, or molting.

Because they have a hard exoskeleton, they cannot simply grow larger inside it. Instead, they must shed the old shell to make room for a new one. Young lobsters may molt several times within a single year. As they reach adulthood, this process slows down significantly. Larger lobsters typically molt only once every one to two years.

Lobsters use specialized tools for survival, specifically their asymmetrical claws. The first pair of pereiopods, or walking legs, ends in two very different feet. One is the crusher, which features rounded nodules to smash prey. The other is the cutter, which has sharp inner edges for tearing food. Usually, the left claw acts as the crusher and the right acts as the cutter.

This allows them to eat various benthic invertebrates like crabs and molluscs.

The life cycle of the European lobster begins with eggs. In the summer, mating occurs between a hard-shelled male and a recently molted female. The female carries her eggs on her pleopods for up to 12 months.

These females are often called "berried" because of the eggs they carry. When the eggs hatch at night, the larvae swim to the water surface. These zoea larvae drift with ocean currents and eat zooplankton for 15 to 35 days. They undergo three molts before becoming juveniles that live on the ocean floor.

Survival is difficult for these tiny larvae during their early stages. It is estimated that only one larva in every 20,000 survives to reach the benthic phase. Once they reach a carapace length of 50mm, they leave their burrows to start adult life.

They prefer to live on the continental shelf at depths between 20 and 150 meters. They often hide in crevices in rocks or hard mud to stay safe.

Scientists have categorized several distinct populations of this species. Some live in the northern Norwegian fjords, such as Tysfjorden, inside the Arctic Circle.

These are known as "midnight-sun lobsters." Other genetically distinct groups exist in the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Netherlands. The species is also closely related to the American lobster, Homarus americanus. You can tell them apart by looking at their claws and rostrum. The American lobster has spines on the underside of its rostrum, while the European lobster does not.

Humans catch these lobsters widely, especially around the British Isles.

In 2008, Europe and North Africa caught 4,386 tonnes of them. About 79 percent of that total came from the British Isles. Fishermen often use lobster pots to catch them.

To protect breeding females, a "v-notch" is cut into their uropod, which is an inner tail flap. This notch stays for three molts, protecting the female for three to five years. This ensures she can continue to breed and keep the population healthy.