There are quite a few marine creatures who can regenerate parts of their bodies. They are starfish, brittle star, flatworm, sharks, mantas, zebrafish, sea cucumber, crabs, jelly fish, sponges, sea slugs and lobsters.

I know, just recently (in November 2024) we wrote about lobster, crayfish & langouste but I found some more interesting facts about the lobster to share with you.

Regeneration and other interesting facts
Lobsters can regenerate antennae, parts of their tails, claws, legs and even an eye. The new body parts are usually smaller in size. This process is called autonomy, where they can detach these appendages to escape danger (not the eye).

Not related to regeneration but still interesting is that lobsters are invertebrates with a hard protective exoskeleton. This is an external shell that supports the body. To grow, a lobster must shed its outer shell which leaves their soft bodies vulnerable until the new larger external shell is ready. During the shedding process several species change color.

Moulting requires a lot of energy. The bigger the lobster the more energy it needs. Some die of exhaustion during the moulting process.

Lobsters live up to an estimated 45 to 50 years which is not an accurate number and mainly determined by size.

Lobsters like the octopus, snails and spiders have blue blood due to the presence of hemocyanin, which contains copper.

Three of their 5 pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair which are usually much larger than the others.

Lobsters are 20 – 50cm long and move slowly, walking on the sea floor. However, they swim backward quickly when they flee by curling and uncurling their abdomen. A speed of 5 meters per second has been recorded.

Several other groups of crustaceans have the word lobster in their names, the term lobster usually refers to the clawed lobster. Clawed lobsters are not closely related to spiny, slipper or squat lobsters which have no claws.

The most similar living relatives of clawed lobsters are the reef lobsters and the freshwater crayfish.

Let me know if you find this interesting. If you have any questions about marine life that you would like me to write about.

Photo credit Manta Trust.

Famous manta Babaganoush in 2018. Photos taken 2 weeks apart.

Starfish regenerating