Lobsters live in water and have long bodies and are mottled brown in color. Whichever creature lives in sea or water, it is firstly thought of as a type of fish because fish is so far the most common and popular living thing that lives in water. But, is lobster also a type of fish or not?
Is Lobster a Fish?
Lobster has such a shape that does not even look like a fish. Rather it most likely looks like an insect. But surprisingly, it is neither a fish nor an insect. If a lobster is not a fish then the question here is what category of living things is the lobster?
What is a Lobster if Not a Fish?
A lobster is not a fish rather it is a “crustacean”. Crustaceans are a group of all invertebrate animals. The lobsters are also known to be one of the types of the animals included in the category of crustaceans and hence invertebrate animals, more accurately “marine invertebrates”. A lobster can never be thought of as a fish. The traits and characteristics of a crustacean are entirely different from those of fish. For instance, crustaceans are living things with no backbone unlike fish.
Lobsters are biologically as well as physically different from fish:
- Fish have fins while lobsters have hard shells. Moreover, a lobster has legs through which it walks in the water.
- Fish on the other side swims through its muscles. Lobsters have two compound eyes unlike fish.
- Lobsters can live out of water on land for much more time as compared to fish. A fish can normally survive out of water from ten minutes to almost three hours depending on the size of the fish. While on the other hand, a lobster can survive out of water for almost forty eight hours.
Interesting Facts About Lobsters
- Lobsters are cooked as a meal to be eaten in some countries of the world and are considered a delicious sea food by many. The color of live lobsters is usually either brown, green or dark blue. When the lobster is cooked, it turns red.
- Lobsters are naturally covered by shells. While growing up from a small lobster to larger, the lobster has to shed its shell. They do this almost five times a year.
- Lobsters are carnivorous animals (means that they prey and eat other living things/animals for their living). They eat fish, worms and also other lobsters.
- Lobsters have a very good sense of touch and smell and they use these senses to find their prey.
The Bottom Line
A lobster can never be considered a fish as it is included in the category of crustacean animals or marine invertebrate animals and have characteristics entirely different from those of the fish. They are physically as well as biologically different and have different features. For instance, lobsters have backbone, legs and compound eyes unlike the fish. Lobsters can survive longer than fish out of water.
