Lobster:
Introduction:
Lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. The scientific name for the lobster is 'Nephropidae'.where
Appearance:
Lobsters are related to prawns and crabs. They have thin bodies covered in a hard shell, big claws and long antenna. Some lobster shells are blue and black when they're alive but turn red during cooking. Most lobsters are around 30cm in length and weigh around 1kg. The lobsters tail fan has a weird shape, because it is like a propeller of a boat. This tail fan is really useful and fun for the lobster because it helps it to swim around the deep sea and hunt for its favourite food. One of the lobsters claws are called 'pincher claw' and the other side is 'crusher claw'. The crusher claw is the biggest claw which is used to crush its prey. On the other hand the pincher claw which the lobster uses to rip into the prey.
Habitat:
The Northwest Atlantic is where the American lobster calls home. From Labrador to North Carolina this lobster is found eating, breeding and roaming the ocean floor. Lobsters prefer to make their homes in rocky areas where they can hide in the narrow opening from predators. Some lobsters can be found in the pacific ocean or other deep areas where lobsters can swim around.
Food:
Lobsters like to eat crabs, clams, mussels, starfish, smaller fish, and sometimes even other lobsters. A lobster does have teeth, but they are not in its mouth, they are in its stomach. The food is chewed in the stomach between by what look like three molars.
Behavior:
American lobsters are scavengers as well as predators, eating just about anything they can find along the bottom of the ocean, including fish, small crustaceans, and mollusks. They are cannibalistic as well and have been known to devour other American lobsters in lobster traps. Lobsters are just one of many types of animal in the crustacean family. Other crustaceans include crayfish, shrimp and crabs. In a place of a vertebra, the lobster has an exoskeleton, which is considered soft because it is flexible unlike a clam's exoskeleton. To grow, the lobster has to shed their shell.
Adaption:
Lobster adaptations include the ability/talent to shed their exoskeleton, compound eyes, dark coloring, claws that are designed for different tasks and a heightened sense of smell and taste. The lobster's ability is to shed its outer skin through a process called 'molting' that allows the animal to regenerate lost limbs.
Conclusion:
The lobster is part of family of large marine crustaceans. They come in all different shapes and sizes but they can be harmful to predators who hunt them.
References:
Learning Intention: WALT identify and write an information report about an animal.
Success Criteria: I know I can do this when I describe the identity of a lobster.
