 = Homarus gammarus =   Homarus gammarus , known as the European lobster or common lobster , is a species of clawed lobster from the eastern Atlantic Ocean , Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea . It is closely related to the American lobster , H. americanus . It may grow to a length of 60 cm ( 24 in ) and a mass of 6 kilograms ( 13 lb ) , and bears a conspicuous pair of claws . In life , the lobsters are blue , only becoming " lobster red " on cooking . Mating occurs in the summer , producing eggs which are carried by the females for up to a year before hatching into planktonic larvae . Homarus gammarus is a highly esteemed food , and is widely caught using lobster pots , mostly around the British Isles .   = = Description = =   Homarus gammarus is a large crustacean , with a body length up to 60 centimetres ( 24 in ) and weighing up to 5 – 6 kilograms ( 11 – 13 lb ) , although the lobsters caught in lobster pots are usually 23 – 38 cm ( 9 – 15 in ) long and weigh 0 @.@ 7 – 2 @.@ 2 kg ( 1 @.@ 5 – 4 @.@ 9 lb ) . Like other crustaceans , lobsters have a hard exoskeleton which they must shed in order to grow , in a process called ecdysis ( moulting ) . This may occur several times a year for young lobsters , but decreases to once every 1 – 2 years for larger animals .   The first pair of pereiopods is armed with a large , asymmetrical pair of claws . The larger one is the " crusher " , and has rounded nodules used for crushing prey ; the other is the " cutter " , which has sharp inner edges , and is used for holding or tearing the prey . Usually , the left claw is the crusher , and the right is the cutter .   The exoskeleton is generally blue above , with spots that coalesce , and yellow below . The red colour associated with lobsters only appears after cooking . This occurs because , in life , the red pigment astaxanthin is bound to a protein complex , but the complex is broken up by the heat of cooking , releasing the red pigment .   The closest relative of H. gammarus is the American lobster , Homarus americanus . The two species are very similar , and can be crossed artificially , although hybrids are unlikely to occur in the wild since their ranges do not overlap . The two species can be distinguished by a number of characteristics :   The rostrum of H. americanus bears one or more spines on the underside , which are lacking in H. gammarus .   The spines on the claws of H. americanus are red or red @-@ tipped , while those of H. gammarus are white or white @-@ tipped .   The underside of the claw of H. americanus is orange or red , while that of H. gammarus is creamy white or very pale red .   = = Life cycle = =   Female H. gammarus reach sexual maturity when they have grown to a carapace length of 80 – 85 millimetres ( 3 @.@ 1 – 3 @.@ 3 in ) , whereas males mature at a slightly smaller size . Mating typically occurs in summer between a recently moulted female , whose shell is therefore soft , and a hard @-@ shelled male . The female carries the eggs for up to 12 months , depending on the temperature , attached to her pleopods . Females carrying eggs are said to be " berried " and can be found throughout the year .   The eggs hatch at night , and the larvae swim to the water surface where they drift with the ocean currents , preying on zooplankton . This stage involves three moults and lasts for 15 – 35 days . After the third moult , the juvenile takes on a form closer to the adult , and adopts a benthic lifestyle . The juveniles are rarely seen in the wild , and are poorly known , although they are known to be capable of digging extensive burrows . It is estimated that only 1 larva in every 20 @,@ 000 survives to the benthic phase . When they reach a carapace length of 15 mm ( 0 @.@ 59 in ) , the juveniles leave their burrows and start their adult lives .   = = Distribution = =   Homarus gammarus is found across the north @-@ eastern Atlantic Ocean from northern Norway to the Azores and Morocco , not including the Baltic Sea . It is also present in most of the Mediterranean Sea , only missing from the section east of Crete , and along only the north @-@ west coast of the Black Sea . The northernmost populations are found in the Norwegian fjords Tysf
Ġ= ĠHom arus Ġgam mar us Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠHom arus Ġgam mar us Ġ, Ġknown Ġas Ġthe ĠEuropean Ġlobster Ġor Ġcommon Ġlobster Ġ, Ġis Ġa Ġspecies Ġof Ġclaw ed Ġlobster Ġfrom Ġthe Ġeastern ĠAtlantic ĠOcean Ġ, ĠMediterranean ĠSea Ġand Ġparts Ġof Ġthe ĠBlack ĠSea Ġ. ĠIt Ġis Ġclosely Ġrelated Ġto Ġthe ĠAmerican Ġlobster Ġ, ĠH . Ġameric anus Ġ. ĠIt Ġmay Ġgrow Ġto Ġa Ġlength Ġof Ġ60 Ġcm Ġ( Ġ24 Ġin Ġ) Ġand Ġa Ġmass Ġof Ġ6 Ġkilograms Ġ( Ġ13 Ġlb Ġ) Ġ, Ġand Ġbears Ġa Ġconspicuous Ġpair Ġof Ġclaws Ġ. ĠIn Ġlife Ġ, Ġthe Ġlob sters Ġare Ġblue Ġ, Ġonly Ġbecoming Ġ" Ġlobster Ġred Ġ" Ġon Ġcooking Ġ. ĠM ating Ġoccurs Ġin Ġthe Ġsummer Ġ, Ġproducing Ġeggs Ġwhich Ġare Ġcarried Ġby Ġthe Ġfemales Ġfor Ġup Ġto Ġa Ġyear Ġbefore Ġh atching Ġinto Ġplank ton ic Ġlarvae Ġ. ĠHom arus Ġgam mar us Ġis Ġa Ġhighly Ġesteemed Ġfood Ġ, Ġand Ġis Ġwidely Ġcaught Ġusing Ġlobster Ġpots Ġ, Ġmostly Ġaround Ġthe ĠBritish ĠIsles Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠDescription Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠHom arus Ġgam mar us Ġis Ġa Ġlarge Ġcrust ace an Ġ, Ġwith Ġa Ġbody Ġlength Ġup Ġto Ġ60 Ġcent imet res Ġ( Ġ24 Ġin Ġ) Ġand Ġweighing Ġup Ġto Ġ5 ĠâĢĵ Ġ6 Ġkilograms Ġ( Ġ11 ĠâĢĵ Ġ13 Ġlb Ġ) Ġ, Ġalthough Ġthe Ġlob sters Ġcaught Ġin Ġlobster Ġpots Ġare Ġusually Ġ23 ĠâĢĵ Ġ38 Ġcm Ġ( Ġ9 ĠâĢĵ Ġ15 Ġin Ġ) Ġlong Ġand Ġweigh Ġ0 Ġ@ . @ Ġ7 ĠâĢĵ Ġ2 Ġ@ . @ Ġ2 Ġkg Ġ( Ġ1 Ġ@ . @ Ġ5 ĠâĢĵ Ġ4 Ġ@ . @ Ġ9 Ġlb Ġ) Ġ. ĠLike Ġother Ġcrust ace ans Ġ, Ġlob sters Ġhave Ġa Ġhard Ġex os keleton Ġwhich Ġthey Ġmust Ġshed Ġin Ġorder Ġto Ġgrow Ġ, Ġin Ġa Ġprocess Ġcalled Ġec d ysis Ġ( Ġm oul ting Ġ) Ġ. ĠThis Ġmay Ġoccur Ġseveral Ġtimes Ġa Ġyear Ġfor Ġyoung Ġlob sters Ġ, Ġbut Ġdecreases Ġto Ġonce Ġevery Ġ1 ĠâĢĵ Ġ2 Ġyears Ġfor Ġlarger Ġanimals Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġfirst Ġpair Ġof Ġp ere iop ods Ġis Ġarmed Ġwith Ġa Ġlarge Ġ, Ġasymm etrical Ġpair Ġof Ġclaws Ġ. ĠThe Ġlarger Ġone Ġis Ġthe Ġ" Ġcrus her Ġ" Ġ, Ġand Ġhas Ġrounded Ġnod ules Ġused Ġfor Ġcrushing Ġprey Ġ; Ġthe Ġother Ġis Ġthe Ġ" Ġcutter Ġ" Ġ, Ġwhich Ġhas Ġsharp Ġinner Ġedges Ġ, Ġand Ġis Ġused Ġfor Ġholding Ġor Ġtearing Ġthe Ġprey Ġ. ĠUsually Ġ, Ġthe Ġleft Ġclaw Ġis Ġthe Ġcrus her Ġ, Ġand Ġthe Ġright Ġis Ġthe Ġcutter Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġex os keleton Ġis Ġgenerally Ġblue Ġabove Ġ, Ġwith Ġspots Ġthat Ġcoales ce Ġ, Ġand Ġyellow Ġbelow Ġ. ĠThe Ġred Ġcolour Ġassociated Ġwith Ġlob sters Ġonly Ġappears Ġafter Ġcooking Ġ. ĠThis Ġoccurs Ġbecause Ġ, Ġin Ġlife Ġ, Ġthe Ġred Ġpigment Ġast ax anth in Ġis Ġbound Ġto Ġa Ġprotein Ġcomplex Ġ, Ġbut Ġthe Ġcomplex Ġis Ġbroken Ġup Ġby Ġthe Ġheat Ġof Ġcooking Ġ, Ġreleasing Ġthe Ġred Ġpigment Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġclosest Ġrelative Ġof ĠH . Ġgam mar us Ġis Ġthe ĠAmerican Ġlobster Ġ, ĠHom arus Ġameric anus Ġ. ĠThe Ġtwo Ġspecies Ġare Ġvery Ġsimilar Ġ, Ġand Ġcan Ġbe Ġcrossed Ġartificially Ġ, Ġalthough Ġhybrids Ġare Ġunlikely Ġto Ġoccur Ġin Ġthe Ġwild Ġsince Ġtheir Ġranges Ġdo Ġnot Ġoverlap Ġ. ĠThe Ġtwo Ġspecies Ġcan Ġbe Ġdistinguished Ġby Ġa Ġnumber Ġof Ġcharacteristics Ġ: Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġro str um Ġof ĠH . Ġameric anus Ġbears Ġone Ġor Ġmore Ġsp ines Ġon Ġthe Ġunderside Ġ, Ġwhich Ġare Ġlacking Ġin ĠH . Ġgam mar us Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġsp ines Ġon Ġthe Ġclaws Ġof ĠH . Ġameric anus Ġare Ġred Ġor Ġred Ġ@ - @ Ġtipped Ġ, Ġwhile Ġthose Ġof ĠH . Ġgam mar us Ġare Ġwhite Ġor Ġwhite Ġ@ - @ Ġtipped Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġunderside Ġof Ġthe Ġclaw Ġof ĠH . Ġameric anus Ġis Ġorange Ġor Ġred Ġ, Ġwhile Ġthat Ġof ĠH . Ġgam mar us Ġis Ġcreamy Ġwhite Ġor Ġvery Ġpale Ġred Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠLife Ġcycle Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠFemale ĠH . Ġgam mar us Ġreach Ġsexual Ġmaturity Ġwhen Ġthey Ġhave Ġgrown Ġto Ġa Ġcar ap ace Ġlength Ġof Ġ80 ĠâĢĵ Ġ85 Ġmill imet res Ġ( Ġ3 Ġ@ . @ Ġ1 ĠâĢĵ Ġ3 Ġ@ . @ Ġ3 Ġin Ġ) Ġ, Ġwhereas Ġmales Ġmature Ġat Ġa Ġslightly Ġsmaller Ġsize Ġ. ĠM ating Ġtypically Ġoccurs Ġin Ġsummer Ġbetween Ġa Ġrecently Ġm oul ted Ġfemale Ġ, Ġwhose Ġshell Ġis Ġtherefore Ġsoft Ġ, Ġand Ġa Ġhard Ġ@ - @ Ġshe lled Ġmale Ġ. ĠThe Ġfemale Ġcarries Ġthe Ġeggs Ġfor Ġup Ġto Ġ12 Ġmonths Ġ, Ġdepending Ġon Ġthe Ġtemperature Ġ, Ġattached Ġto Ġher Ġple op ods Ġ. ĠFemales Ġcarrying Ġeggs Ġare Ġsaid Ġto Ġbe Ġ" Ġber ried Ġ" Ġand Ġcan Ġbe Ġfound Ġthroughout Ġthe Ġyear Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġeggs Ġhatch Ġat Ġnight Ġ, Ġand Ġthe Ġlarvae Ġswim Ġto Ġthe Ġwater Ġsurface Ġwhere Ġthey Ġdrift Ġwith Ġthe Ġocean Ġcurrents Ġ, Ġpre ying Ġon Ġz oop l ank ton Ġ. ĠThis Ġstage Ġinvolves Ġthree Ġm oul ts Ġand Ġlasts Ġfor Ġ15 ĠâĢĵ Ġ35 Ġdays Ġ. ĠAfter Ġthe Ġthird Ġm oult Ġ, Ġthe Ġjuvenile Ġtakes Ġon Ġa Ġform Ġcloser Ġto Ġthe Ġadult Ġ, Ġand Ġadop ts Ġa Ġb enth ic Ġlifestyle Ġ. ĠThe Ġjuveniles Ġare Ġrarely Ġseen Ġin Ġthe Ġwild Ġ, Ġand Ġare Ġpoorly Ġknown Ġ, Ġalthough Ġthey Ġare Ġknown Ġto Ġbe Ġcapable Ġof Ġdigging Ġextensive Ġbur rows Ġ. ĠIt Ġis Ġestimated Ġthat Ġonly Ġ1 Ġlar va Ġin Ġevery Ġ20 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġsurvives Ġto Ġthe Ġb enth ic Ġphase Ġ. ĠWhen Ġthey Ġreach Ġa Ġcar ap ace Ġlength Ġof Ġ15 Ġmm Ġ( Ġ0 Ġ@ . @ Ġ59 Ġin Ġ) Ġ, Ġthe Ġjuveniles Ġleave Ġtheir Ġbur rows Ġand Ġstart Ġtheir Ġadult Ġlives Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠDistribution Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠHom arus Ġgam mar us Ġis Ġfound Ġacross Ġthe Ġnorth Ġ@ - @ Ġeastern ĠAtlantic ĠOcean Ġfrom Ġnorthern ĠNorway Ġto Ġthe ĠAz ores Ġand ĠMorocco Ġ, Ġnot Ġincluding Ġthe ĠBaltic ĠSea Ġ. ĠIt Ġis Ġalso Ġpresent Ġin Ġmost Ġof Ġthe ĠMediterranean ĠSea Ġ, Ġonly Ġmissing Ġfrom Ġthe Ġsection Ġeast Ġof ĠCre te Ġ, Ġand Ġalong Ġonly Ġthe Ġnorth Ġ@ - @ Ġwest Ġcoast Ġof Ġthe ĠBlack ĠSea Ġ. ĠThe Ġnorthern most Ġpopulations Ġare Ġfound Ġin Ġthe ĠNorwegian Ġf j ords ĠT ys f