California spiny lobster

[PANULIRUS INTERRUPTUS]

Lobsters use their powerful tail muscles to scoot away from predators, so June and July must be a vulnerable time for the egg-laden females. Holding a mass of up to 800,000 eggs under their tails, females must walk with great care across the rocky reefs where they retreat from octopuses and sea bass. After the eggs hatch, however, lobsters molt their heavy shells and move into deeper offshore waters in advance of winter. Meanwhile, newborn larvae (not looking at all like lobsters) float in the currents for seven months before molting into baby lobsters and settling to the bottom. Female lobsters may live up to 17 years, and males about twice as long, but nearly 100% are harvested for their tails as soon as they reach legal size.

NATURAL HISTORY

Spiny, or rock, lobsters are extremely important seafloor omnivores, and they play a particularly critical role in controlling sea urchin populations. In the absence of lobsters, sea urchins wipe out kelp beds -- a valuable habitat for a remarkable diversity of sea life.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

Brick-red in color, but lacking the massive front claws of the familiar East Coast lobster. In the days before aggressive harvesting, lobsters 3 feet long and weighing 30 pounds could be found.