Common Lobster

Across the globe, the world’s waters are full of an enormous range of fascinating and beautiful creatures. From the smallest of plankton to the largest of whales, for millennia, the seas and oceans have been home to thousands of species of marine creatures, giving us the ability to see what some of the life on Earth used to be like all those years ago.

Some of these animals have lived around Britain’s shores for as long as Britain has been an island! One of these animals is the common lobster (Homarus gammarus), and we’re proud to home some of them in our Sunken Shipwreck exhibit.

What is the common lobster?

The common lobster, or European lobster, is a crustacean that can be found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and parts of the Black Sea. Crustaceans are aquatic invertebrates with hard shells and jointed legs, with lobsters, crabs, prawns, and krill all being classified as crustaceans.

Lobsters are split into two categories: claw lobsters and rock lobsters. Rock lobsters do not possess the large claws that claw lobsters do, although they look very similar besides that.

What do common lobsters look like?

Unlike the image you may have in your head, common lobsters are a deep blue colour with two long red antennae on their heads. They have eight walking legs and two claws, which are also technically legs, making them decapods!

They are slightly smaller than their American cousins and are known to be less aggressive, which is why the introduction of American lobsters to European waters is of great concern to marine conservationists.

Where do common lobsters live?

Common lobsters are sometimes called European lobsters, so it isn’t hard to guess where you can find them. European lobsters make their homes in the salty waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea.

They tend to live in shallow waters in crevices and amongst rocks beneath the low tide mark and out to depths of 60 metres.

Lobster lifespan and reproduction

Female common lobsters tend to live longer than males, with an average lifespan of 54 years compared to 31 years. In particularly extreme cases, some lobsters have been known to live for over 70 years. This goes against the common myth that lobsters are immortal.

The lobster reproductive cycle is broken down into five main stages:

Mating

Male and female lobsters form a bond before mating, with female lobsters moulting under the protection of a male.

Moulting

After mating, the female moves away and eats to harden her new shell.

Egg-laying

The following summer, the female extrudes eggs through small ducts while moulting, and they are fertilised as they are released. Depending on her size, a female lobster can lay anywhere from 8,000 to over 100,000 eggs.

Egg-carrying

The female carries the eggs on her abdomen for between nine and twelve months, attaching them to swimming legs called pleopods. As the eggs develop, they change colour from dark green to black and eventually turn red as the embryo consumes the yolk.

Hatching

The eggs hatch over several nights in batches after about two years. The larvae are released into the water by the female by shaking her tail and pleopods, and they remain there for four to six weeks. Not many of the larvae make it to adulthood since they are usually eaten by predators.

See the common lobster at Bristol Aquarium

We’re incredibly lucky to have 2 common lobsters here at Bristol Aquarium. One of which, named Clawdia, has some fascinatingly unusual claws! Most common lobsters have one claw for cutting and one claw for crushing, however, Clawdia is wonderfully unique since she has two cutting claws! Book your tickets now to get a first-hand look at why we love this 10-legged sea creature so much!

We’ve expertly recreated their natural habitat in our Sunken Shipwreck exhibit, so our lobsters really feel at home amongst their other sea-dwelling friends.