What Are Adaptations of a Lobster?
Lobster adaptations include the ability to shed their exoskeleton, compound eyes, dark coloring, claws designed for different tasks and a heightened sense of smell and taste. The lobster’s ability to shed its outer skin through a process called molting allows the animal to regenerate lost limbs.
It usually takes several molts for the limb to fully regenerate, but the ability to lose and regrow an appendage is a valuable adaptation designed to help the lobster escape predators. The lobster’s compound eyes are adapted for low light environments. This is ideal since lobsters inhabit deep water where little light is present and normally hunt at night. The compound eyes are uniquely designed to detect movement. The lobsters heightened sense of smell and taste also allow it to flourish in low visibility environments.
The lobster’s antennae are covered in tiny hairs that pick up chemicals from potential predators or prey, and relay them back to the lobster so that the animal can literally “smell” its surroundings. These hairs are so sensitive that the lobsters can discern between the various species of mussels that it hunts.
Lobsters also have developed a pair of claws that are distinct to one another. One claw is large with tiny teeth on it that the lobster uses to grab, hold and crush its prey. The other claw is smaller with serrated edges that is used to cut.
