---
title: "What the sources say about the American Lobster | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "35 claims from the American Lobster profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the American Lobster (*Homarus americanus*)

> 35 claims from the American Lobster profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [American Lobster](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/american-lobster/)

## American Lobster. NOAA Fisheries.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/american-lobster

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A seafloor crustacean with a crusher claw and a ripper claw. Scientists believe some may live to be 100 years old. | scientists believe some American lobsters may live to be 100 years old (note: tagline; claws and seafloor claimed below) |
| Ocean floor of the northwest Atlantic, from Labrador to Cape Hatteras, wherever there is a burrow or crevice for cover. | American lobsters are found in the northwest Atlantic Ocean from Labrador to Cape Hatteras. ... American lobsters live on the ocean floor. ... They can live in a variety of habitats as long as there is a burrow or crevice for cover. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Opportunistic omnivore: crabs, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, sea stars, fish and macroalgae. | Lobsters are opportunistic feeders, feeding on whatever prey is most available, so their diet varies regionally. ... Adults are omnivorous, feeding on crabs, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, sea stars, fish, and macroalgae. (note: stats.diet) |
| Two different claws, a crusher for pulverizing shells and a ripper for tearing soft flesh. | One claw is a big-toothed crusher claw for pulverizing shells, and the other is a finer-edged ripper claw, resembling a steak knife, for tearing soft flesh. (note: stats.superpower) |
| The American lobster is a crustacean with a large shrimp-like body and 10 legs, and two of those legs end in big claws. | American lobster is a crustacean with a large shrimp-like body and 10 legs, two of which are large, strong claws. |
| One is a big-toothed crusher for pulverizing shells. The other is a finer-edged ripper, resembling a steak knife, for tearing soft flesh. | One claw is a big-toothed crusher claw for pulverizing shells, and the other is a finer-edged ripper claw, resembling a steak knife, for tearing soft flesh. |
| they can weigh up to 44 pounds, roughly 20 kg. | They can weigh up to 44 pounds. (note: 20 kg from 44 lb (19.96 kg)) |
| Live lobsters are mostly olive-green or greenish-brown | Live lobsters are not red like those you see in a restaurant or grocery store, after they have been cooked. Most are either olive-green or greenish-brown. (note: pigment clause claimed separately from ADW) |
| Each time it outgrows its shell, it slides out and forms a new one. | Lobsters must periodically molt in order to grow, shedding their hard, external skeleton (shell) when they grow too large for it and forming a new one. |
| A lobster's skeleton is on the outside, and it must shed it in order to grow. | Lobsters must periodically molt in order to grow, shedding their hard, external skeleton (shell) when they grow too large for it and forming a new one. |
| it often devours its own vacated shell, which replenishes lost calcium and helps harden the new one. | They eat voraciously after they molt, often devouring their own recently vacated shells. Eating their shell replenishes lost calcium and helps harden their new shell. |
| A lobster molts about 20 to 25 times over 5 to 8 years between hatching and being able to reproduce. | Lobsters molt about 20 to 25 times over a period of 5 to 8 years between the time they hatch and when they are able to reproduce and reach the minimum legal size to be harvested. |
| Shedding the shell also leaves no evidence of age, so an exact age is difficult to determine. | It’s difficult to determine their exact age because they shed their hard shell when they molt, leaving no evidence of age. |
| NOAA says lobsters have a long life span and scientists believe some may live to be 100 years old. | American lobsters have a long life span. ... But scientists believe some American lobsters may live to be 100 years old. |
| American lobsters live in the northwest Atlantic, from Labrador down to Cape Hatteras. They are most abundant in coastal waters from Maine through New Jersey, and they are also common offshore, to depths of 2,300 feet, from Maine through North Carolina. | American lobsters are found in the northwest Atlantic Ocean from Labrador to Cape Hatteras. They’re most abundant in coastal waters from Maine through New Jersey, and are also common offshore to depths of 2,300 feet from Maine through North Carolina. |
| They live on the seafloor, alone, and they are very territorial. They can live in a variety of habitats as long as there is a burrow or crevice for cover. | American lobsters live on the ocean floor. They live alone and are very territorial. They can live in a variety of habitats as long as there is a burrow or crevice for cover. |
| Adults are omnivores and eat whatever is most available, including crabs, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, sea stars, fish and macroalgae (seaweeds). | Lobsters are opportunistic feeders, feeding on whatever prey is most available, so their diet varies regionally. ... Adults are omnivorous, feeding on crabs, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, sea stars, fish, and macroalgae. |
| Young lobsters are especially vulnerable to predators, and fish, sharks, rays, skates, octopuses and crabs feed on lobsters. | a variety of bottom-dwelling species feed on lobster, including fish, sharks, rays, skates, octopuses, and crabs. Young lobsters are especially vulnerable to predators. |
| Large, hard-shelled lobsters may be immune to predators, except humans. | Large, hard-shelled lobsters may be immune to predators (except humans). |
| It is hard to say. Molting throws away the hard shell, and with it any evidence of age, which makes an exact age difficult to determine. Even so, NOAA says scientists believe some may reach 100 years old. | It’s difficult to determine their exact age because they shed their hard shell when they molt, leaving no evidence of age. But scientists believe some American lobsters may live to be 100 years old. (note: FAQ 1) |
| No. NOAA says most are olive-green or greenish-brown, and some carry orange, reddish, dark green or black speckles. The red of a restaurant lobster appears once it has been cooked. | Live lobsters are not red like those you see in a restaurant or grocery store, after they have been cooked. Most are either olive-green or greenish-brown. Some have orange, reddish, dark green, or black speckles (note: FAQ 2) |
| NOAA Fisheries says American lobsters can weigh up to 44 pounds. That is about 20 kg. | They can weigh up to 44 pounds (note: 20 kg from 44 lb (19.96 kg)) |
| An American lobster's claws split the work: one is a crusher for pulverizing shells, the other a finer-edged ripper for tearing soft flesh. | One claw is a big-toothed crusher claw for pulverizing shells, and the other is a finer-edged ripper claw, resembling a steak knife, for tearing soft flesh. |
| tags: omnivore | Adults are omnivorous, feeding on crabs, mollusks, worms, sea urchins, sea stars, fish, and macroalgae. |

## Homarus americanus (American lobster). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Homarus_americanus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A lobster of the size commonly caught is about 25 cm long and weighs about 0.5 kg. | the size of a lobster which is commonly caught is approximately 25 cm in length and weighs about 0.5 kg |
| While the new shell hardens, the lobster stays in seclusion to avoid predators. | The new shell is already covering its body but takes a few days to harden. During this period the lobster stays in seclusion to avoid predators. |
| They stay among the rocks by day and venture out at night to look for food. | Individuals stay among the rocks during the day to avoid predators (mainly cod) and venture out at night in search for food. |
| Animal Diversity Web adds that a lobster is usually a scavenger, though it can capture its own prey. | It is usually a scavenger, feeding on dead animals, but is also capable of capturing its own prey. |
| Its antennules, feelers on the head, carry more than 400 types of chemoreceptors, the sensors that detect chemicals. Lobsters use them to sense other species, potential mates, prey and predators. | The second segment of the head has anntenules with delicate hairs that have more than 400 types of chemoreceptors. The lobsters can detect other species, potential mates, prey and predators with the receptors. |
| the red comes after cooking, when pigments in the shell break down. | The red color results when a lobster is boiled and is a result of pigments in the shell breaking down. (note: body pigment clause; ADW says boiled) |
| tags: nocturnal | Individuals stay among the rocks during the day to avoid predators (mainly cod) and venture out at night in search for food. |
| tags: scavenger | It is usually a scavenger, feeding on dead animals, but is also capable of capturing its own prey. |
| dangerLevel: Low | There are no negative consequences for humans by the lobster. |

## Wahle et al. (2009). Homarus americanus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T170009A6705155.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2011-1.rlts.t170009a6705155.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern. | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: GBIF check goes here, not cited) |

## Lang et al. (1977). Developmental Neuroethology: Changes in Escape and Defensive Behavior During Growth of the Lobster. Science.

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.197.4304.682

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 1977 study found that in larval and early juvenile stages, physiological and morphological factors favor the escape response over defense. In large animals, defensive behavior is preferred almost exclusively, unless the claws are lost. | In larval and early juvenile stages, physiological and morphological factors favor use of the escape response over defensive behavior. In large animals, defensive behavior is preferred almost exclusively to escape behavior unless the claws are lost. (note: 1977 is the reference year (Lang et al. 1977, Science)) |