FAQ:
Where do lobsters live?
How do they protect themselves from predators?
Do lobsters migrate?
Are there threats to lobster habitats?
The American lobster, Homarus americanus, lives in the Atlantic Ocean from Labrador, Canada to North Carolina. Lobsters like to live alone in small rocky shelters and crevices on the ocean floor where they are safe from predators. Lobsters spend most of the day hunkered down in hiding to avoid predators.
When they are young, they burrow into the sand, mud, or pebbles, they stay put for the first few years of their lives, hoping to remain safe. As a adults they use their large claws to dig and make a tunnel they call their home. Some burrows may house two or three lobsters of different sizes. They are found at depths of around 400m in deep waters and in shallow waters they are found at depths ranging from 1-40 meters. (http://www.parl.ns.ca/lobster/overview.htm)
Yes! Larger lobsters migrate closer to shore in the summer months to stay in warmer water. Some lobsters also migrate along the coast. The average distance mature lobsters travel during migration is 19 miles. One lobster traveling along the coast near the shore logged 918 miles in three and a half years!
Unfortunately lobster habitats are being threatened because of exposure to:
- pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and petroleum products
- destructive and unregulated practices in agriculture or coastal development
- ocean dumping and sewage treatment/disposal
- dredging (http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/hill_whit/Site/Habitat_and_Geography.html)