A lobster is a seemingly clumsy crustacean with all those legs, swimmerets and a very long abdomen (known to us as the ‘tail’) that can only curl and uncurl with reactive speed taking them haphazardly away for danger. Being simple animals, a lobster’s physical actions do translate to specific behaviors and reactions.
A lobster’s behavior is most easily related directly to survival or propagation and has been highly efficient for crustaceans have survived on the earth for many millions of years.
In general, lobsters are not social or even friendly, living mostly secluded and nocturnal lives. You won’t find a herd of lobsters hanging out or using each other for protection for they have ways to defend themselves, such as aggressive postures, that abdomen for a quick retreat and some varieties have claws (such as a Maine lobster) that can snap a grown man’s finger.
From the moment a lobster hatches, its mission is to avoid predators because it has a one in ten chance of surviving. They are surprisingly adept swimmers that rely on the currents of the water column to gravitate to their favorite place—the bottom of the ocean floor. It tends to make home in crevices or tunnels to wedge itself in to avoid predators; and in order to find food it pumps water through its tunnel using the swimmerets, or small legs underneath its abdomen.
It has been proven lobsters prefer the bottom of the ocean, and a hard bottom at that. Some think this is because as youngsters they will scavenge for scraps of food dropping to the ocean floor, and as adults prefer their bottom-dwelling neighbors as a favorite meal. By the time they are of a harvestable size, mature lobsters don’t have the same vulnerability and will often migrate long distances along the ocean floor and in the open without threat.
Occasionally a lobster comes face to face with a threat, such as another lobster or predator. To defend themselves, a lobster will face the threat and lift its head a little to appear as large as possible, point its antennae behind it and legs forward ready to fight. The Maine lobsters with claws get those ready by menacingly holding them in front and open as well. This behavior is often seen in or around a lobster’s tunnel or home because they don’t like any other animals getting too close.
Another interesting fact about lobsters is that they are capable of reflex amputation. When under stress they can discard a limb, such as a claw, leg or antennae to escape and prevent life-threatening injury.
Really the only time two lobsters will tolerate being around one another is during and after mating. Scientists consider lobster courtship complex. A female will chose her preferred male and make her way into his den after wafting her pheromones over him. Then once she has shed her shell is she capable of mating and will stay in his den for up to a week afterward till she is less vulnerable to predators. At that time she will depart his company without looking back, waiting up to 20 months to release her eggs, or berries.
Since lobsters can live up to an estimated 100 years that is a long time to spend mostly alone! Thanks to their hard exoskeleton, reflexive retreat technique, and aggresive responses to threats, they seem to have the solitary life figured out.
