Spiny lobsters are one of the coastal marine animals that are found in the Pacific southwest to as far as Baja California, Mexico. It is a valuable commercial fishery and in the late 1970’s the fishery business touched its highest point. As it turns out spiny lobsters are less likely to be found in rocky coastal habitats where they once lived in large numbers. It is also called rock lobster and red lobster.
Spiny Lobster Facts
Anatomy
- Spiny lobster looks very much similar to the true lobsters not only in its hard carapace but also in its overall shape yet both these are not closely related.
- Unlike true lobsters, spiny lobsters seem to have long spiny antennae. True lobsters have relatively small antennae.
Distribution and Range
- Spiny lobsters have a wide geographic range—they occur in nearly all the warm waters ranging from Southwest Pacific, Monterey Bay, California, South Baja California, Magdalena Bay and Mexico.
- The isolated population of California spiny lobster is found in the northern Gulf of California. It is most likely to occur in the coastal waters of central Baja California.
- Spiny lobsters are also common in the Caribbean Sea, Australasia, and in South Africa.
Habitat
Spiny lobsters make habitats in the coral reefs and rock crevices where they can easily prey on clams, snails, as well as crabs.
Feeding Ecology & Diet
- The spiny lobster is known to prey on crabs, slams, crabs, sea-hares, and sea urchins.
- They do migrate in large numbers across the sea floor.
- They have got keen sense of smell and taste and because of this spiny lobsters are able to navigate in water. The recent research suggests that the spiny lobster also navigates via Earth’s magnetic field.
- Many spiny lobsters are known to produce rasping sounds to run off potential predators.
