How do lobsters reproduce?
Like all living creatures, lobsters must reproduce in order to prevent extinction. A female lobster usually mates when she is in the soft shell state. This state takes place right after she has shed her shell, or in other words, molted. A one pound female lobster carries about 8,000 eggs, each of which are 1/16” when freshly laid. In comparison, a nine pound female lobster can carry more than 100,000 eggs. These eggs are carried inside for about nine to twelve months, and then become externally attached for another nine to twelve months. These eggs are attached by a glue-like substance to the swimmerets, which is located under her tail. Finally, once the eggs hatch, the mother releases them by fanning her swimmerets.
Source: http://www.lobster.um.maine.edu/index.php?page=48
What is the lifecycle of a lobster?
When lobsters are first born, they enter the larval stage of their life. In this stage, they float near the water’s surface for about four to six weeks, while being very susceptible to prey and will go through three molts. After the fourth molt, the few lobsters that survive will enter the post-larval stage, and settle to the bottom of the ocean. At the bottom, they will look for hiding places such as rocks or grassy areas. After growing more, they will start to hide less of the time. This is called the “Juvenile Lobster” stage. During this stage, they can molt up to twenty-five times before entering the adult stage. The stage of adulthood is reached after five to eight years, where the male lobsters will molt once a year, and females every two years. Lastly, lobsters grow by molting. This is when they try to leave their shell while also absorbing water to expand body size.
How do lobsters digest?
A lobster’s digestive system is made of a long tract that contains three main regions known as the foregut, midgut, and hindgut. Similar to people, the food is first handled by the mouth parts and crushed by the mandible before swallowing. It then enters the esophagus, which is a muscular organ that contracts to push the food to the anterior
chamber of the stomach. Different muscles of the stomach compress and expand to mix the food with digestive enzymes. The food then goes through a triangular structure, known as the gastric mill, which grinds food into fine particles so that they can pass into the pyloric stomach. There, they are filtered according to their size - minute particles to the midgut gland to be further digested and absorbed into the blood, and larger particles back to the pyloric stomach. From the pyloric stomach, these larger particles pass into a tubular portion of the midgut. Finally, some of the end products of digestion are absorbed into the blood stream, while remaining material is packaged into fecal pellets. Contractions of the midgut force these pellets to the hindgut, and proceed to the enlarged rectum where rapid contractions push the pellets out the anus.
Why do lobsters turn red when they’re cooked?
Lobsters turn red when they are cooked due to the carotenoid pigment in their shell. This pigment, known as Astaxanthin, is the bright red coloring that is mixed with other colors. For this reason, the lobsters have their natural coloration. However, when combined with heat, the Astaxanthin pigment is stable, while the other pigments break down, leaving only the bright red.
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