Lobsters are fascinating marine crustaceans that occupy an interesting position within the ocean’s intricate food web. They function as both hunters and prey, navigating a complex underwater world where survival depends on various factors. Understanding their interactions with other marine life offers insight into the delicate balance of marine ecosystems.
Who Preys on Lobsters
Lobsters face a range of predators throughout their life stages, with vulnerability shifting as they grow. Their journey from tiny larvae to mature adults is fraught with threats.
Larval lobsters are vulnerable, existing as small, free-floating plankton near the water’s surface. They become easy targets for a variety of aquatic organisms, including small fish, jellyfish, and other filter feeders. Only about 10% of lobster eggs reach the juvenile stage, indicating high predation pressure.
As lobsters transition into their juvenile stage, they seek refuge in crevices and under rocks on the ocean floor. They remain prey for bottom-dwelling fish such as cod, flounder, sculpin, wolffish, ocean pout, monkfish, eels, and dogfish. Crabs and octopuses also hunt juvenile lobsters, with crabs capable of breaking off legs and antennae or rupturing their softer undersides.
Adult lobsters, while larger and more robust, still face predators. Larger fish, including certain sharks like nurse sharks, thresher sharks, and mako sharks, can prey on them. Cod are also significant fish predators.
Seals are known to consume full-grown lobsters, using their strong jaws to crush exoskeletons. Octopuses are skilled predators that can access lobsters even within traps. Cannibalism also occurs among lobsters, particularly in crowded conditions or when a lobster is vulnerable after molting.
How Lobsters Survive in the Face of Predation
Lobsters possess several adaptations and behaviors that help them evade predators, allowing them to navigate the marine environment. These strategies are important for their survival against a diverse array of threats.
The lobster’s hard exoskeleton provides a primary defense, acting as a protective shell against crushing forces and piercing attacks. This armored carapace is particularly strong. Their powerful claws serve not only for capturing prey but also as formidable weapons for defense against attackers.
Lobsters can use their claws in combat with other lobsters or to deter predators. They can also squirt water or whip their tails to create a disturbance and escape. A lobster can even shed a claw in a process called autotomy, distracting a predator and allowing the lobster to flee. The lost limb can regenerate over subsequent molting cycles.
Lobsters exhibit behaviors and habitat preferences that enhance survival. They are benthic creatures, meaning they live on the ocean floor, often seeking refuge in rocky areas, crevices, and burrows. These complex environments provide numerous hiding spots, making it difficult for predators to locate them. Smaller lobsters are cryptic, staying hidden in seaweed and rocky habitats for shelter from predators. Lobsters are also largely nocturnal, moving and hunting for food at night, which helps them avoid many diurnal predators.
Despite these defenses, lobsters experience a period of significant vulnerability during molting, when they shed their old, rigid shell to grow. After molting, their new shell is soft, leaving them susceptible to predators and even microorganisms. During this time, they often isolate themselves or remain hidden until their new exoskeleton hardens, a process that can take up to two weeks. Male lobsters have been observed protecting molting females.