Amazing Creatures 3 Lobsters

Lobsters are large marine crustaceans with a hard protective external skeleton. Like most other crustaceans lobsters must moult (shed their skeleton) in order to grow. During this process a lobster can increase in length by up to 15% and 40% in weight. They may also change colour.

It is reported that moulting occurs up to 25 times in the first 5-7 years of life, and subsequently the males moult annually and the females twice a year.
There is no way to confirm the age of the lobster but based on scientific knowledge they can reach up to 100 years.  The lobster lives in all habitats including rocky, sandy or muddy bottoms, and they typically prey on fish, molluscs, crustaceans, worms and some plants. Lobsters are considered nocturnal (active at night time), therefore rarely seen during day time.

One amazing fact is that lobsters do not slow down, weaken, or lose fertility with age. In fact older lobsters are more fertile/ healthier than the younger generations, making lobsters the only creatures on earth whose cells grow better with age. This longevity may be due to the presence of a special DNA repair enzyme and it is believed by some scientists that they could effectively live indefinitely if not injured or caught.

Their longevity allows them to grow to very large sizes, according to the Guinness World record, the largest lobster caught in Canada weighed 20.15 kg. Lobsters are important for the environment and scientific research however they are also threatened by overfishing in the Red Sea as they are highly-prized as a seafood dish.

For more information regarding our amazing creatures please contact Dr. Mohammed Ismail m.ismail@hepca.com