An American lobster in coastal water.

American lobster (*Homarus americanus*) in coastal water.

Creator: Derek Keats

Licence: CC BY 2.0

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Species record

American Lobster

Homarus americanus

Explore the American Lobster (Homarus americanus) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The American Lobster is a large marine crustacean of the cold coastal waters of North America. It shelters among rocky seabed habitat and uses its unequal claws to crush or cut prey and defend itself. It supports a major commercial fishery.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Arthropods
  3. Class: Crabs, lobsters and relatives
  4. Order: Decapoda
  5. Family: Nephropidae
  6. Genus: Homarus
  7. Species: Homarus americanus

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
rocky coast, continental shelf
Selected regions
North America
Selected countries
Canada, United States

Conservation status

The Ark records: Least Concern.

Did you know?

  • An American lobster grows by shedding its hard outer shell and forming a larger one.
  • Its two claws are different: one is adapted for crushing and the other for cutting.

More images

An American lobster viewed from above.

American lobster (*Homarus americanus*) viewed from above.

Creator: Roberto Rodríguez

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

View image source

Sources and attribution