Lobsters were once considered the poor man’s chicken. In Colonial times, it was fed to pigs and goats and only eaten by paupers.
Lobsters aren’t red. They turn red when cooked, but in nature they can be green or yellow or even bright blue.
Lobster fishermen throw back lobsters that are too small and lobsters that are too big. The small ones need to grow, while the large ones add vigor to the gene pool.
In Maine, a lobster’s body must be at least 3 1/4 inches to keep, and can’t be over 5 inches.
When lobsters mate, the eggs aren’t fertilized right away. The female carries the male’s sperm and chooses when to fertilize her eggs.
Lobsters shed their shells, or molt.
A female lobster can only mate just after she has molted.
Lobsters can swim forward and backward. When they’re alarmed, they scoot away in reverse by rapidly curling and uncurling their tails.
Because its nervous system is similar to that of grasshoppers and ants, lobsters are sometimes called “bugs.”
When food is scarce, lobsters can turn cannibal and dine on smaller lobsters.
Lobsters reproduce by laying lobster eggs. The eggs are carried by the female until they’re ready to hatch.
Lobster eggs are called roe, just like fish eggs.
Former President and First Lady George and Barbara Bush loved to eat lobster served up fresh at Mable’s restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Prisoners sometimes dined like kings, often eating lobster because it was plentiful and cheap.
Maine lobsters are clawed lobsters, and have large, meaty claws.
Spiny Caribbean lobsters have no claws and are sold mainly for their tails.
Besides American lobsters, people also enjoy European lobsters, Spiny lobsters, scampi, and crayfish.
Lobsters are usually caught in an underwater trap called a “lobster pot,” baited with dead fish.
Lobsters usually feed on bottom dwellers like clams, snails, and crabs.
Lobsters live in the murk and mud at the bottom of the ocean.
Lobsters can grow up to four feet long and weigh as much as 40 pounds.
It is believed that lobsters can live as long as 100 years.
Lobsters have a crusher claw and a pincer claw; some lobsters have the crusher claw on the right side and others have it on the left.
Native Americans ate lobsters after wrapping them in seaweed and baking them over hot rocks.
Native Americans also used lobster as bait and to fertilize their crops.
Lobster meat is a great source of protein, providing 28 grams of protein per cup.
Lobsters are a great source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
If you hold the butter, lobsters aren’t fattening. Three and a half ounces only have 96 calories and about two grams of fat.
Lobsters are considered marine crustaceans along with shrimp, krill, and barnacles.
The American lobster, found in the Atlantic Ocean, bears the scientific name Homarus americanus.
Lobsters were once so plentiful that after a storm they would wash ashore in deep piles.
Lobsters were originally gathered by hand. It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that lobster trapping became popular.
Soft-shelled lobster is considered to have sweeter, more tender meat.
A soft-shelled lobster is one that has just molted and is in a growing phase.
Soft-shelled lobsters are called “shedders.”
Most soft-shelled lobsters are caught from July to October.
Hard-shelled lobsters have darker claws than the soft-shelled ones.
Since striped bass have no teeth, they swallow lobsters whole, but only the tiny ones.
Even full-grown lobsters can fall prey to codfish and the occasional octopus.
You can catch lobsters by hand, just be sure to wear heavy-duty gloves.
Lobsters have poor eyesight, but have highly developed senses of smell and taste.
It’s not illegal to hunt lobsters at night with a flashlight, but the limit you can take is seven.
Lobsters can be grown on farms.
Lobster blood is not red like ours; it’s clear.
When cooked, lobster blood turns into a whitish gel.
A lobster will, quite literally, drown in fresh water.