Lobster in the Bahamas

When snorkeling in the Bahamas visitors can expect to see many exotic and colorful marine animals. Some are gentle enough to touch, while others pack a bit of a punch and are better admired at a distance. The lobster, with its two large front claws, falls into the latter category. This slow moving animals is nonetheless fascinating, and while many people have seen live lobsters in tanks, the opportunity to see on in the wild is not to be missed.

Lobster Appearance

Though usually orange or reddish in color, a lobster can also be black, blue, white or yellow. They are generally somewhere between a foot and a foot and a half long and weigh only a couple pounds, but since they continue to grow their whole lives and can live over seven decades there have been lobsters recorded at over forty pounds. The record holder is just over 44 pounds and was more than three feet long. That particular behemoth was estimated to have been over a hundred years old, which is far longer than most lobsters survive in the wild. Lobsters molt as they grow, meaning they shed their hard exoskeleton, and even before hatching will have molted several times in their egg.

These fascinating little - or sometimes not so little - animals have five pairs of legs, but it is the first pair with their large claws that divers will need to be careful of. Lobsters generally have one claw that is larger than the other, much like how humans are either right or left handed. Lucky for lobsters, even if they damage or loss a leg it can regenerate. A set of antennae adds to their somewhat intimidating appearance. Unlike the figurative blue blood of human royals, lobsters also have truly blue-tinged blood.

Lobster Eating Habits

Lobsters are not picky about what they eat. They are omnivores who will munch on seaweeds and other plant life, as well as rounding out their diet with worms, fish, crab, and other live prey. When food is scarce they have even been known to turn to cannibalism. This particular gruesome behavior is much more common in crowded tanks than in the wild, however.

Lobster Habitats

Lobsters can be found all over the world in every ocean. They live on the bottom of the ocean and generally move around by walking rather than swimming. They like to hide in small nooks and crannies, or in underwater caves, to avoid predators. They also borrow down into mud for the same reason. Though lobsters can survive on land for a short period of time, they must return to the water within a day or two or they will suffocate as their gills dry out.

Though they generally don't move very fast, if threatened they can swim quickly backwards in order to put some space between themselves and whatever has frightened them. Unfortunately, they are also fished and hunted by humans all over the world, as they are considered to be a delicacy. Strangely enough, lobsters used to be a food fed to servants and others in the lower class, and only relatively recently became a luxury item.