Homarus americanus lobster type


Habitat

The lobster makes its home in water that is not too deep and cold alongside the coast of the St-Lawrence Gulf. It spreads from the North Shore up to the extreme North of Québec, alongside the boundaries of the Isle of Newfoundland and makes its way to the Maritimes, the Magdalena Island still going up the Gaspé Coast to finally end up at the Mouth of the St-Lawrence river alongside the Anticosti Island. On the Atlantic side, it goes from the southern face of Nova-Scotia down to the United-States alongside the coast of the Maine and of the Massachusset.

Environment

Depending on its evolution stage, the  lobster prefers different seafloor types. When it is very small (2cm) it begins its demersal life after spending the first six weeks of  its larva existence drifting on the surface of the water. Then, it finds itself sandy seafloor where it digs a hole in which it will be living, safely away from it's natural predators. For the next three years, it will live under the seafloor, only centimetres away from the seafloor's surface. During that time, it will feed on micro-organisms such as marine worms and sand flea to gradually mutate(phenomenon that will cause it to change its shell) to reach six centimetres. Then, it will start its new life in which it will unbury itself and move in rocky areas where the multiple holes allow it to easily hide and hunt passing by preys.

Food

The lobster feeds on molluscs which it crushes using its big claw and on small crabs which are necessary for its moulting. The crab's shell holds enough calcium to harden the lobsters' new shell. At a certain point, when small fishes are abundant, the lobster feeds on the eggs of sticklebacks, capelins and herrings he can find on the seafloor. At this point, it also eats whatever fishes it can capture.