Homarus gammarus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Lobster

Homarus gammarus

Description: The lobster is a familiar crustacean to most people. In life they are blue in colour, with large claws, eight walking legs and a long body ending in a series of tail plates.

Habitat: Lobsters are most common in the infralittoral zone amongst boulders, but occur at all depths on rocky seabeds where they can find some shelter.

Distribution: A common species all round the coast, though in most areas numbers are seriously depleted by fishing.

Similar Species: The only other large crustacean with a similar shape is the crayfish Palinurus elephas.

Key Identification Features:

• Blue coloration.
• Two large claws, one a cutter and the other a crusher.

Distribution Map: NBN map : National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

WoRMS: Species record : World Register of Marine Species.

iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database