Hobbies And Interests
Omnivorous Scavenger
Lobsters prefer fresh food, but they will scavenge as well. The diet of the American Maine lobster can consist of up to 100 different animals, including crabs, clams, mussels, sea urchins, worms and flounder. American lobsters prefer crab over other types of prey, namely rock crab. Males and females have similar eating habits.
Modes of Feeding
During its first year, the American lobster is vulnerable to predators and therefore stays largely sheltered underneath crevices and tunnels. During this time, the lobster will beat their swimmerets, or pleopods, along the underside of their abdomen to propel seawater bearing small prey, such as zooplankton. For the next three or four years, it will hide under rocks and eat whatever food drifts to them. As they mature, they might venture out to feast on isopods and amphipods, or shrimp-like creatures, which may be twice their size.
Seasonal Eating
Despite their preference for crabs, American lobster tend to eat more sea urchin at certain times of the year. During the molting season, lobsters may prey on animals with higher calcium content, necessary for the formation of their exoskeletons. When the temperature of the water declines, so does feeding activity; in winter, it stays low.
Cannibalism
Lobsters will eat their own kind, in particular in captivity, which is why it is necessary to band their claws and separate them so they do not attack each other. However, lobsters also eat their molts, so it should not be assumed they have eaten another lobster based on just the contents of their stomachs.