Nephrops norvegicus

This lobster is a pretty orange color.

It is very slim. It lives in the deep ocean. It likes to hide in a muddy hole.

The lobster stays in its hole most of the time. It comes out at night to find food. It eats small fish and worms.

Some people eat the tail. They call it scampi. It is a special treat to eat.

The Norway lobster is a slim, orange animal.

It lives in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It likes to live in muddy spots on the seabed.

These lobsters make deep burrows to stay safe. They spend most of their time inside these holes. They only come out at night to find food. They eat worms, fish, and even jellyfish.

Female lobsters carry eggs in their bodies.

They stay in their burrows until the eggs hatch. The babies drift in the ocean currents for a few months. This helps them move to new places.

Many people catch these lobsters for food. The meat from the tail is called scampi.

Fishermen catch about 60,000 tonnes every year. Some use large nets called trawls. Others use small cages called creels. Creel fishing is better for the seafloor. It also helps the lobsters stay in good condition. This makes them worth more money.

The Norway lobster is a slim, coral-colored animal.

It is also called a Dublin Bay prawn or scampi. This lobster lives in the North-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It can be found as far north as Iceland and Norway. It also lives south near Portugal. You will not find them in the Baltic or Black Seas. They like to live in muddy areas on the seabed.

These muddy spots must have a lot of silt and clay. Because they need this specific mud, they live in many small, separate groups. These groups are often split up by rough terrain. Adults rarely travel more than a few hundred metres from their homes.

Most of the time, these lobsters stay inside their deep burrows. They only leave their homes at night to find food.

They are predators that hunt for worms and fish. They can even eat jellyfish. To eat, they use their long legs to grab prey. They then move the food to their mouths using smaller legs. This way of eating helps them survive in the dark ocean. The lobster has a hard shell called a carapace. It also has a long, segmented body and a wide tail fan. Their eyes are shaped like kidneys, which gives their scientific name its meaning.

Scientists have studied these lobsters for a very long time. Carl Linnaeus first named them in his famous book in 1758. Later, a scientist named William Elford Leach created the name Nephrops in 1814. Many other people have studied them since then. In 1995, a new tiny creature was found on their mouths. This creature was named Symbion pandora. It was a very big discovery for zoology. It was actually the first member of a brand new group of living things. This finding was called a highlight of the decade.

Norway lobsters have a life that changes with the weather.

They usually live for 5 to 10 years. Some can even live to be 15 years old. In cold water, their eggs take a long time to hatch. In warm water, the females might wait longer to lay eggs. This happens because they need time to grow new shells. In the spring, females often carry many eggs. They stay in their burrows until the eggs hatch in winter or spring. After they hatch, the babies drift in the ocean currents for one or two months.

Many people catch these lobsters to eat the meat in their tails. In places like Spain and Portugal, they are a special treat. Every year, fishermen catch about 60,000 tonnes of them. Some use large nets called trawls to catch them. Other fishermen use small cages called creels. Creel fishing is often better for the seafloor. It also uses less fuel for the boats. Using creels can make the lobsters worth much more money. This is because the lobsters stay in better condition when they are caught this way.

The Norway lobster, known scientifically as *Nephrops norvegicus*, is a slender, coral-colored crustacean.

It is often called a Dublin Bay prawn, a langostino, or scampi. This species is the only living member of the genus *Nephrops*. Other related species were moved to the genus *Metanephrops*. These lobsters are important to both marine ecosystems and global fisheries. They play a role in energy transfer within the ocean. They also serve as a significant food source for humans and other sea creatures.

Physically, the Norway lobster has a body shape similar to a traditional lobster, but it is much narrower.

A hard shell called a carapace protects its cephalothorax, which is the head and chest area. Its abdomen is long and segmented, ending in a wide tail fan. The animal has three pairs of legs that bear claws, or chelipeds. The first pair is very long and has ridges of spines. Its eyes are kidney-shaped, which is why its genus name comes from the Greek words for kidney and eye.

These lobsters live in specific parts of the ocean. They inhabit the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Mediterranean Sea. Their range extends from Iceland and northern Norway down to Portugal. However, they are not found in the Baltic Sea or the Black Sea. They prefer muddy seabed sediments that contain more than 40 percent silt and clay. Because they need this specific type of mud, their distribution is very patchy. They are divided into over 30 different populations. These groups are often separated by difficult terrain. Adults rarely travel more than a few hundred metres from their homes.

Most of a Norway lobster's life is spent in semi-permanent burrows.

These burrows vary in size and structure. Adults only leave these shelters to find food or to mate. They are scavengers and predators that forage mainly during periods of low light. They hunt for worms, fish, and even jellyfish. To eat, they use their chelipeds and walking legs to capture prey. They then use their anterior walking legs and maxillipeds to move the food to their mouths.

The life cycle of *Nephrops norvegicus* is closely tied to the environment. Most live between 5 and 10 years, though some reach 15 years. Their breeding cycles change based on where they live. In the north, they may breed every two years. In the south, they might breed every year. The time it takes for eggs to hatch depends on water temperature. In cold water, incubation takes longer. In warm water, females might delay spawning to recover from moulting. After hatching, the larvae drift in currents for one to two months. This stage is called the planktonic larval stage.

Many interesting organisms live on or inside the lobster. Some creatures, like the barnacle *Balanus crenatus*, attach to the outside of the shell. In 1995, scientists discovered a tiny creature called *Symbion pandora* on the lobster's mouthparts. This was a major discovery because it belonged to a brand-new phylum called Cycliophora. However, the lobster also faces threats from parasites. The most significant is a dinoflagellate called *Hematodinium*. This parasite causes a syndrome where the shell turns opaque and the animal's fluids turn milky white.

The Norway lobster is also a major part of the fishing industry. About 60,000 tonnes are caught every year. Half of this catch comes from United Kingdom waters. Some fishermen use large nets called trawls. Others use lobster creels, which are small cages. Creel fishing is often better for the seafloor and uses less fuel. It also produces higher-quality lobsters that sell for much more money. In some areas, like the Farne Deeps, fishing has been strictly controlled to help the population recover. This shows how important it is to manage these animals sustainably.