Facts about Lobsters
- 09
Lobsters possess two functional stomachs located in their heads, with the first stomach grinding food and the second extracting nutrients before waste passes through their digestive tract.
- 08
Each of a lobster's eyes contains approximately 14,000 light-sensitive cells called ommatidia, allowing them to detect movement in near-total darkness on the ocean floor.
- 07
Lobsters can live over 100 years in the wild, with some specimens reaching ages of 140 years or more based on growth ring analysis in their eyestalks.
- 06
Neurons in a lobster's nervous system fire at frequencies up to 200 hertz, enabling rapid reflexes and sophisticated sensory processing despite their relatively simple brain structure.
- 05
Female lobsters can store sperm from males for up to five years before fertilizing their eggs, allowing them to reproduce long after mating.
- 04
Molting lobsters can shed up to 15 percent of their body weight, requiring them to hide for several weeks until their new exoskeleton hardens enough for survival.
- 03
Throughout their entire lives, lobsters continuously grow new teeth in their stomachs, which function as grinding surfaces rather than for biting or chewing food.
- 02
A lobster's blood is clear and copper-based rather than iron-based like humans, allowing it to survive in cold ocean temperatures.
- 01
Over 100 million lobsters are caught annually worldwide, with Maine alone harvesting approximately 90 million pounds per year.