This is what a lobster looks like once it has been cooked. As explained above, the astaxanthins are free upon heat activation and this guy is definitely blushing!

This is just one example of the color of a lobster’s carapace that is still alive. Other colors will be shown later. Once cooked, these guys will closely resemble the bright red lobsters below!

In 2006, a lobster was discovered to be “half-cooked” in appearance! This was a one-of-a-kind lobster and he sure got his 15 minutes of fame!

For a quick and dirty list of fast facts relating to this species as well as a video, please visit the New England Aquarium website.

To hear what a lobster sounds like, click here and go to the bottom of the page, or learn more about the American lobster’s relatives and where it comes from.

Even if you don’t like lobsters, I guarantee you will like this!

Please click here to check out some other fantastic websites designed by past and present classmates.

Last updated 4.15.2009

The translation of Homarus americanus is literally “lobster of America.” This creature is know world-wide: Homard americain (French), Hummer (German), Bogavante americano (Spanish), Robusta (Russian), and Omar (Japanese).

As far as the photographs that greatly supplement this website, it’s important to note that live lobsters are not red, but rather, are typically either olive green or greenish brown; however, that little guy above is alive, so his bright orange color is definitely a beautiful exception! It is actually the combination of free astaxanthin (red pigment) and bound astaxanthin that determines the carapace color. Usually, orange, reddish, dark green or black speckles are sprinkled about the body and a shade of blue graces the joints. Once the lobster is cooked, it turns bright orange-red. All lobsters become red when they are cooked, except albino lobsters, because heat breaks the bond between the astaxanthins and their associated proteins, thus freeing the red pigments causing the red pigmentation. Astaxanthins are structurally similar to β-carotene and are obtained in the diet of the lobster.