Any of numerous species of marine shrimplike
Lobsters scavenge for dead animals but also eat live fish, small mollusks and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates, and seaweed. One or more pairs of legs are often modified into pincers, usually larger on one side than the other. True lobsters have a distinct snout on the upper body shell. The American lobster ( Homarus americanus ) and {{link=scampi">scampi are the most commercially important, being highly prized as food. The American lobster, found from Labrador to North Carolina, weighs about 1 lb (0.5 kg) and is about 10 in. (25 cm) long when caught in shallow water. Most deepwater specimens weigh about 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg); some may weigh 40 lbs (20 kg). See also shellfish .
American lobster ( Homarus americanus )
(Top) Douglas P. Wilson; (bottom) John H. Gerard