Crustaceans
Please visit the digipad :
EUROPEAN LOBSTER (Homarus gammarus)
Dear Teammates,
Please read our findings on the amazing abilities of european lobster (Homarus gammarus) below. Mona , Ines
The European lobster lives in the Atlantic Ocean. It is found in rocky bottoms and often in wrecks.
It has a blue shell and it has two large orange antennae. The larger on is the crusher the other is the cutter
It is a very aggressive animal. It hunts at night.
It weighs about 6kg. Its length is about 25 cm to 60 cm. It grows by molting: it loses its shell (exoskeleton) and makes a bigger one.
It lives an average of 10-40 years as it has many predators (codfish)
The European lobster has an enzyme called “telomerase” which restores chromosomes. Scientists believe that, thanks to this enzyme, its cells are immortal and can divide for ever.
One other amazing ability isself-amputation (autotomy). It can discard one or two claws as a self-defense mechanism to escape from predators. Its claw grows back after several moults. The blood in the arteries of the limb is interrupted and a membrane forms at the site of the amputation.
It can lay from 5000 to 40000 eggs, depending on the size of the female. The larger the female, the more eggs it lays.
Its colour changes from blue to orange when it is cooked.
