Wild Harris

Link to Rocky Seabed Animals

This beautiful blue animal lurks beneath rocks and boulders, tasting the water with its long red antennae. With its fearsome claws the lobster has few natural enemies, apart from the octopus and other, bigger lobsters! Lobsters have a long muscular tail which it uses to make a quick exit if threatened – the tail is rapidly flipped beneath the body which propels the lobster backwards at considerable speed. Unlike other shellfish its claws are different – the left claw is large and blunt, used for crushing like pliers. The right hand claw is narrower and sharper, used for cutting like scissors. The strong muscles inside these claws and the tail make tasty eating, which is why fishermen set pots to catch them. Baited creels are set on the seabed, and the smell of the dead fish bait attracts the lobster into the trap. Some fishermen keep their catch in floating boxes and feed them until the selling price is high enough; to stop the lobsters damaging each their their claws are tied shut with rubber bands or cable ties. The animals seem to feed quite happily without the use of their big claws if the food provided is small enough. When cooked the blue colour is destroyed by heat, turning the animal a bright pink colour.

Lobster    (Photo: Paul Tyler)

Lobsters like to hide in small rocky holes where they are almost impossible to dislodge. 

You can plainly see the 2 different kinds of claw - one for cutting and one for crushing.

Lobster    (Photo: Sue Scott)

Wild lobsters are coloured a vivid shade of blue. They only turn red when cooked!

by Paul Tyler

Link to Rocky Seabed Animals