Random Surprising Things Most People Never Learned About Lobsters (14 items)

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  (#8) Lobsters Are Only Red After Being Boiled

  There is a common misconception that all lobsters are bright red. Lobsters can come in a variety of colors, but none of them are all red. Lobster pigmentation can vary between species, but most of them are a dark mix of black, brown, red, and blue. There are some rare genetic defects that can cause extreme color variations, but they are not a species-wide phenomenon. 

  The red coloration is actually a result of the cooking process. Boiled lobsters turn red, and scientists recently discovered the mechanism behind this dramatic transformation. Two chemicals, crustacyanin and astaxantin, are responsible for the pigmentation of lobsters. Crustacyanin is responsible for the bluish tint of living lobsters, while astaxantin causes the red coloration. Crustacyanin overpowers astaxantin in living lobsters, but exposure to intense heat causes a chemical reaction that allows the red pigment to overpower.
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  (#10) They Eat Each Other

  Lobsters are bottom feeders who typically eat shellfish, crabs, and other invertebrates. Unfortunately, lobsters are invertebrates themselves and they are not above putting each other on the menu. One of the primary reasons that lobster claws are banded shut in captivity is to minimize the risk of them murdering and devouring each other before we can. At first lobster cannibalism was thought to only occur in captivity, but in the last few years they have been observed committing lobster-cide in the wild.
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  (#1) Lobster Was Once A Peasant's Food

  Lobsters are probably most famous for being a really expensive delicacy, but that was not always the case. Lobsters were once so abundant in North America the Native Americans would use them as fertilizer, bait, and a good source of protein. They showed the settlers how to cook lobster, a process that included wrapping them in seaweed and steaming them over a fire, which would eventually evolve into the famous New England clambake.

  In the early days of colonization, there were so many lobsters they became the staple food of servants, prisoners, and slaves. People were being fed so much lobster they revolted. Laws were passed limiting the amount of lobster that could be fed to prisoners, and many workers demanded in their contracts they were to only be fed lobster three times a week.
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  (#4) They Can Taste For Prey With Their Legs

  Lobsters have a lot of limbs. Between the claws, legs, antennae, and swimmerets, it’s a wonder they can keep track of them all. Amazingly, the American lobster has two sets of legs that have the unique ability of being able to “taste” for their food. The tasting legs are set just behind the claws and are full of receptors designed to help the lobster locate food in the area. The legs are just a few of the sensory tools that lobsters use to detect prey, the others being their antennae, eyes, and mouths.
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  (#12) Lobster Claws Are Insanely Tough And Can Regenerate

  Lobsters belong to the order Decapoda, which literally translates from Greek as “10 feet.” Like all decapods, lobsters have five pairs of legs. In some lobsters, the front pair of legs has evolved into a pair of durable claws. While not all lobster species have claws (like the Caribbean spiny lobster), the ones that do can be pretty formidable. A lobster can pinch with the force of 1,180 psi, which is stronger than the bite of a dog. 

  Clawed lobsters typically have two different types of claw, one designed to crush and the other to pinch. The cutter claw is smaller than the crusher, which is used to break into hard-shelled prey like clams. In the event a lobster loses one of its claws, the lost limb will simply begin regenerating during its next molting cycle. A one-clawed lobster is typically known colloquially as a cull.
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  (#2) They Can Shoot Pee Out Of Their Eyes

  Females are known to squirt males with pungent urine in an effort to begin the courtship process. Dr. Ellen Prager, a marine biologist and professor, described the practice to NPR. "She shoots when she comes up to a den that might have a male in it. She actually seduces him with her pee and instead of clobbering her over the head with his claw, he says, 'Come in, come in' and gets all touchy-feely.”

  It’s not all about romance though. Lobster urine contains a lot of information, and spraying pee in someone's face is apparently a valid form of communication for them. Males have been known to pee in each other faces to display aggression and dominance over rivals. 

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