10 Bizarre and Fascinating Lobster Facts

Lobsters are truly unique creatures. They lack vocal cords, have two stomachs, and sometimes engage in cannibalism.

When a bright red lobster is served on your plate, its oddities are the last thing on your mind. The joy lies in cracking the shell, dipping the tender meat in melted butter, adding a hint of lemon, and relishing every succulent bite.

Though lobster is now a luxury dish, comparable to filet mignon, it wasn't always so. In the past, lobsters were so abundant in New England that they were easily gathered from the shore and were primarily consumed by the poor and prisoners.

Let’s explore this and nine other odd facts about lobsters. (This article primarily focuses on the American or Maine lobster). Discover how familiarity led to disdain.

10: Lobster Was Once Poor Man's Food

During the Middle Ages in Europe, lobsters were regarded as a delicacy and even used medicinally. The rostrum, or front section of the lobster, was ground into powder to aid in passing kidney stones. The gastrolith, a stone in the lobster’s digestive system, was used to treat stomach ailments [source: Lobster Conservancy].

A few centuries later, perceptions shifted dramatically. In 18th and early 19th-century New England, lobsters were so plentiful that they were fed to pigs, and their shells were used as fertilizer. Indentured servants in Massachusetts were so weary of eating lobster that they successfully sued to limit their consumption to no more than three times a week [source: Dembosky].

The transition to lobster being a luxury food began in the late 19th century, as affluent urbanites vacationed at coastal areas and developed a taste for this seafood delicacy. Refrigeration advancements enabled live lobsters to be shipped nationwide. Rising demand and dwindling supply pushed prices upward. Over time, supply and demand have fluctuated, but today, lobster is firmly established as a gourmet dish.

9: They Aren't (Usually) Red Before Cooking

In their natural habitat, most lobsters display a greenish-brown mottled pattern. Cooking turns them red because heat disrupts the bond between the shell's pigmentation and protein. The red hue arises from astaxanthin, a carotenoid pigment present in orange plants, which lobsters ingest through their diet [source: Cowan].

A rare few lobsters are red before cooking, and some even appear orange, yellow, green, blue, or a mix of these colors. These variations can result from genetic mutations or dietary influences. If a lobster consumes only one type of food, it may develop a solid color [source: Cowan].

Up until now, we’ve focused on the American lobster. This large-clawed species inhabits the eastern coasts of Canada and the United States. Its relative, the European lobster, features smaller claws and a dark blue shell with spots and a yellow underside. It thrives in the waters of Western Europe and North Africa. Non-clawed varieties, known as rock or spiny lobsters, are found in warmer global waters and display a range of colors [sources: Gulf of Maine Research Institute, St. Lawrence Global Observatory].

8: Lobsters Pee Out of Their Faces

Your perception of lobsters might change once you discover how they eliminate waste. Thankfully, their faces aren’t part of the meal! Lobsters urinate through openings (nephrophores) near the base of their second antennae. These excretory organs, known as green glands, consist of a sac connected to a bladder via a coiled tube [source: Lobster Conservancy].

Lobsters also release waste through their gills and digestive glands. However, excretion from the nephrophores isn’t just about waste removal — it plays a role in their mating rituals.

Male lobsters are naturally combative. Female lobsters are drawn to the most dominant and aggressive males in their vicinity, expressing interest by frequently urinating into the male’s shelter. Their urine contains pheromones, which soothe the male and stimulate his interest. Lobsters also urinate on each other during confrontations as a form of communication [source: Markey].

7: Lobsters Have Two Stomachs

If urinating from their faces wasn’t strange enough, lobsters boast other unique anatomical traits. Their eyes, located at the base of their antennae, detect light and shadows but not colors or images. Instead, lobsters primarily use their three pairs of antennae for navigation. The largest pair helps them feel their way around, while the smaller pairs assist with detecting scents [source: Lobster Conservancy]. A structure called the rostrum, situated between their eyes, is often mistaken for a nose but actually protects their eyes during fights.

Lobsters also have two stomachs. The first is located in their head, just behind the eyes, and contains a gastric mill with tooth-like structures to grind food. Once the food is sufficiently broken down, it moves to the second stomach. Most of the lobster’s abdomen is occupied by a digestive gland, known as the tomalley, which functions like a liver. When cooked, the tomalley turns green and is considered a delicacy by some [source: Lobster Conservancy].

6: Losing a Claw is No Big Deal

Clawed lobsters typically possess two pincers of different sizes. The larger one, known as the crusher, is used to break through the shells of prey. The smaller claw, called the cutter or seizer, grasps and tears food into smaller pieces, allowing the lobster’s tiny antennae to transport it to its mouth.

Lobsters usually have a dominant claw, meaning they are either right-clawed or left-clawed, with the crusher claw appearing on either side. Young lobsters start with two cutter claws, and one transforms into a crusher as the lobster matures and interacts with its environment. Researchers have successfully prevented lobsters from developing a crusher claw but have not been able to create lobsters with two crushers — a phenomenon only observed in the wild [source: Cowan].

Regardless of which claw is dominant, lobsters aren’t overly attached to their limbs. If a lobster loses a claw or leg, it regenerates during molting, which occurs multiple times a year until adulthood. During molting, the lobster sheds its entire exoskeleton, and any missing limbs regrow to match the originals. Lobsters can also intentionally shed a limb or claw to escape predators, a survival mechanism known as autotomy or reflex amputation [sources: McCarthy, NOAA Fisheries Service].

5: They Don't Make Noise

Many avoid cooking lobster at home due to the common method of preparation — plunging them alive into boiling water. Some cooks are unsettled by noises from the pot, mistakenly believing the lobster is screaming. However, lobsters cannot produce sounds as they have no vocal cords. The noises are likely air escaping from their shells or the crackling of their legs rubbing together.

If lobsters aren’t screaming, do they feel pain? This remains debated. Some scientists argue they don’t, as they lack a complex nervous system or brain like vertebrates. A 2005 study by the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety suggested that lobsters’ reactions to boiling are reflexive responses to stimuli, known as nociception, not actual pain. However, a 2013 study from Queen’s University Belfast reached the opposite conclusion [source: Cressey]. For those concerned about humane preparation, seek restaurants using the CrustaStun, a device that quickly kills lobsters via electrocution.

4: Relationships Last About Two Weeks

In a 1996 episode of "Friends," Phoebe famously compared Ross and Rachel’s rocky relationship to lobsters, claiming, "It’s a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life." While this idea has been referenced before, it’s inaccurate. As previously mentioned, female lobsters seek out the most dominant male in the area, using pheromone-laced urine to attract him. After several visits, the male responds, and mating occurs. The female must first molt, shedding her shell, and stays with the male until her new shell hardens before leaving. This entire process lasts between 10 days and two weeks [source: Markey].

However, this isn’t a lifelong commitment. Other females follow suit, mating with the same dominant male in succession. Lobsters are serial monogamists, engaging in brief, exclusive relationships rather than lifelong partnerships [source: Markey]. Fans of "Friends" will recall that Ross and Rachel eventually reunited — but only after 10 seasons and many other relationships.

3: Females Carry Live Sperm Up to Two Years

When lobsters mate, the male transfers sperm to the female before she departs, but this doesn’t immediately fertilize her eggs. Sometimes, the male doesn’t provide enough sperm to fertilize all her eggs — which can number in the tens of thousands — prompting her to seek additional mates [source: Gosselin]. Even then, fertilization isn’t guaranteed, as the female waits for optimal conditions. She can store live sperm for up to two years before using it to fertilize her eggs [source: NOAA Fisheries Service].

After fertilization, the eggs may remain inside the female for another year before she lays them. Once laid, the eggs can stay attached to her swimmerets — the small legs under her tail — for an additional 9 to 11 months [source: Cowan].

Once hatched, the larvae drift for about a month before settling on the ocean floor to mature. Only 1% of larvae survive to reach the bottom, and just two out of every 50,000 eggs grow into adult lobsters large enough to be caught [source: NOAA Fisheries Service]. This lengthy life cycle and low survival rate explain why female lobsters are selective about when they fertilize and lay their eggs.

2: Lobsters Can Be Cannibals

One reason many baby lobsters don’t survive to adulthood is their tendency to cannibalize each other. After hatching, lobsters undergo several developmental stages. Once they resemble tiny lobsters, they no longer just float and consume zooplankton, fish eggs, and other larvae. They begin competing for food and hunting prey like crabs, gastropods, starfish, and marine worms [source: St. Lawrence Global Observatory]. In confined spaces, juveniles will eat each other without hesitation. This behavior complicates raising lobsters in captivity, as they must be kept in separate containers [source: Anderson].

Cannibalism isn’t limited to juvenile lobsters. Adults often prey on juveniles or freshly molted lobsters in traps or tanks. Until recently, this behavior hadn’t been observed in the wild. In 2012, researchers in Maine filmed adult lobsters engaging in infanticide. They tethered a juvenile lobster, expecting natural predators like cod and skate to attack it. Instead, adult lobsters fought over it at night. This cannibalism was attributed to a lobster population surge, driven by warmer waters and overfishing of their natural predators [source: Doucleff].

1: They Don't Show Signs of Aging

If you’ve seen the 2013 lobster meme claiming lobsters are "biologically immortal, delicious with butter," take it with a grain of salt. While they’re undeniably tasty, lobsters aren’t immortal. Unlike most animals, lobsters don’t weaken or lose reproductive ability as they age. They continue molting and growing, but this doesn’t mean they live forever. Eventually, they die from natural causes, often because they exhaust the energy needed to molt, leading to fatal diseases [source: Koren].

While lobsters do eventually die, pinpointing their exact lifespan remains uncertain. They typically reach adulthood at 1.5 to 2 pounds (680 to 907 grams), but the largest recorded lobster weighed a staggering 44 pounds (20 kilograms) [source: BBC]. Some experts believe wild lobsters can live up to 50 years.

Researchers estimate a lobster’s age by analyzing substances that accumulate in its body over time, such as fat deposits in its eyestalks or a brain pigment called eurolipofuscin [source: Koren]. Recent studies suggest the most accurate method involves counting age bands concealed within the gastric mill of one of its stomachs [source: Poppick].