Facts About Lobsters

Lobsters are invertebrates with a hard shell that live on the muddy environment at the bottom of the ocean. These creatures belong to the class Crustacean of the Phylum Arthropoda.

There are two kinds of lobsters found in the United States, the Maine lobster and the spiny lobster. The Maine lobster is otherwise called the American lobster, the Massachusetts lobster, or the North Atlantic lobster. The spiny lobsters have no claws but have a pair of horns above the eyes. A male lobster is called a cock whereas the female is called a hen or a chicken.

A lobster has 19 body parts and each of them is covered by a section of its tough shell. It possesses a hard exoskeleton, sensory antennae, segmented body, compound eyes on stalks, a tail fan, and four pairs of jointed walking legs. They are gill breathers and come in variety sizes and forms. They are found in blue, red, yellow, and white colors. Their sizes range from 2-12 inches. As per the Guinness Records, the largest lobster weighed over 44 pounds i.e. 20 kilograms. It was caught in Nova Scotia in Canada.

A lobster's brain is the size of a grasshopper's brain. It takes about five to seven years for lobster to mature. The normal life span of a lobster is around 15 years and some of them live even for 50 years. Lobsters can be caught the year-round. Based on a couple of aspects, the actual date of the lobster season varies. The American lobster can be seen in abundance from March through December.

Lobster traps are considered the best technique to catch lobsters . With the increased demand for lobster meat, it has become one of the most sought-after among the seafood industries in the global market place. Some of the tastiest ways in preparing lobsters include bisque, sauce, salad, stew, newburg, tail, bake, fritters, lobster chili, rolls, and thermidor. Nutrition-wise, lobsters are high in potassium, magnesium, Vitamin A, B12, B6, B3, B2, calcium, phosphorous, iron, zinc, and amino acids. When compared to turkey and chicken, they are low in cholesterol and saturated fats. They also help to reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke.