| Lobsters are invertebrates, which belong to the | | | | and the thorax. The larger claws are called as the |
| Crustacean class of the Phylum Arthropoda. There | | | | crusher claws. These are very useful for crushing |
| are two different families of lobsters existing in the | | | | prey. Ripper or pincher claws are the smaller claws. A |
| United States. They are the American lobster and the | | | | lobster has a pair of compound eyes providing sense |
| spiny lobster. American lobsters are clawed lobsters | | | | of sight. The functions of the mandibles and |
| which are classified under the taxonomic family | | | | maxillipeds are to grip and shred its food. Pereiopods |
| Nephropidae, or large marine crustaceans. Spiny | | | | are two sets of walking legs suitable for burrowing. |
| lobsters are without claws, but with a pair of horns | | | | Central tail fin is called telson and outer pairs of tail |
| that can be seen above the eyes. You can find five | | | | fins are known as uropods. |
| pairs of jointed legs in a lobster. They come in a | | | | Lobsters live in burrows in the muddy areas at the |
| variety of colors, sizes, and forms. Their sizes range | | | | bottom of the ocean. Smaller ones are called as |
| from 1-12 inches. | | | | lobsterettes. Similar to all arthropods, lobsters must |
| The basic parts of a lobster include abdomen, | | | | molt in order to grow, leaving them vulnerable during |
| antennules, antennae, crusher claw, pincher claw, | | | | this time. Most lobsters are carnivores and feed on |
| carapace, cephalothorax, pereiopods, eye, maxillipeds, | | | | clams, carrion, mussels, snails, worms, sea urchin, and |
| telson, uropods, and mandible. | | | | other lobsters. |
| Abdomen is the tail section of the lobster which is | | | | Like the grasshopper, the nervous system of a |
| composed of seven segments. Antennae are | | | | lobster is very primitive. Approximately 100,000 |
| sensory organs, which functions as a chemoreceptor. | | | | neurons are present in a lobster. Usually, the color of |
| Antennules help to perceive distant odors. The | | | | its blood is grayish. The large blood vessels circulate |
| external shell of the cephalothorax is called carapace. | | | | its blood from the heart which is located behind the |
| Cephalothorax, one of the main parts of a lobster, is | | | | stomach. Lobsters take in oxygen from the water |
| covered by the carapace. It is made up of the head | | | | through the gills, found in the lobsters' thorax section. |