Malacostracans · Decapoda · Nephropidae

Common Lobster

Homarus gammarus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Unlike most animals it shows no clear sign of functional ageing: it goes on growing, breeding and regenerating limbs throughout its life.

Weight

up to 6 kg

Size

up to 65 cm

Lifespan

42 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Ocean Crustacean

39countries 42parks 79dive sites2same family

Fun facts

It shows no clear sign of functional ageing: it goes on growing and breeding all its life.
It can regrow lost limbs.
Only 0.005% of the planktonic larvae survive to the juvenile bottom-dwelling stage.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Invertebrate - calcified chitin exoskeleton, renewed periodically by moulting
Habitat & environment: Rocky and firm mud bottoms of the continental shelf of the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, down to 150 m
Birth weight: A microscopic planktonic larva on hatching from the egg
Size at birth: A planktonic larva; only 0.005% survive to the juvenile bottom-dwelling stage
Sexual maturity: Female: at a carapace length of 80-96 mm (varying by region)
Gestation / incubation: Up to 12 months of gestation (the eggs are carried attached to the female's abdomen)
Litter / clutch size: Thousands of eggs per clutch, carried by the female

Sources consulted: SeaLifeBase; Cambridge Core (maturity and fecundity study); bioRxiv (reference genome study); Animalia.bio; National Lobster Hatchery