Caribbean spiny lobster

How it lives

Females carry the fertilised eggs under the tail, and the eggs hatch in about three weeks. The larvae, called phyllosoma, drift in the plankton and go through several stages before settling in seagrass, algae or mangrove roots as young lobsters. Juveniles later move to reef crevices. Spawning is from March to August in the Florida Keys and takes place through the year elsewhere in the Caribbean. Lobsters may live 15 years or more, but ageing them is difficult. By day they shelter in crevices and under ledges.

Where it goes

Caribbean spiny lobsters live in the western Atlantic from about Rio de Janeiro to North Carolina, including the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Bermuda. Females move to deeper water to spawn. In autumn, groups sometimes walk in single-file lines across the seabed near Florida and the Bahamas. The reason is not fully known.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

IUCN (2009): Data Deficient, meaning there is not enough information to judge extinction risk across its range. Stock status varies by place. NOAA Fisheries reported in 2022 that the Puerto Rico stock was subject to overfishing, while the St. John/St. Thomas and St. Croix stocks were not. In Venezuela, most of the catch comes from Los Roques Archipelago National Park (created 1972), where a 1998 to 1999 study estimated a catch of about 139 tonnes.