The many sizes and shapes of lobsters

Spiny lobsters have a complex life cycle. It begins when females travel to deeper, colder waters to release their young. The females fan their telson (or tail), and the larvae drift off into ocean currents without any parental care! At this stage, the transparent lobsters are referred to as phyllosome larvae.


As they complete all eleven stages of their development, spiny lobsters begin to look more like adult lobsters and are called puerulus larvae. It is a long journey (6-12 months), and as the surviving larvae grow, they begin to settle on hard bottom habitats. At this stage, spiny lobsters are solitary and have banded legs which aid in camouflage (see picture above). Spiny lobsters become social when they grow larger and migrate out of algal habitats.