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= Homarus gammarus =

Homarus gammarus , known as the European lobster or common lobster , is a species of clawed lobster from the eastern Atlantic Ocean , Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea . It is closely related to the American lobster , H. americanus . It may grow to a length of 60 cm ( 24 in ) and a mass of 6 kilograms ( 13 lb ) , and bears a conspicuous pair of claws . In life , the lobsters are blue , only becoming " lobster red " on cooking . Mating occurs in the summer , producing eggs which are carried by the females for up to a year before hatching into planktonic larvae . Homarus gammarus is a highly esteemed food , and is widely caught using lobster pots , mostly around the British Isles .

= = Description = =

Homarus gammarus is a large crustacean , with a body length up to 60 centimetres ( 24 in ) and weighing up to 5 – 6 kilograms ( 11 – 13 lb ) , although the lobsters caught in lobster pots are usually 23 – 38 cm ( 9 – 15 in ) long and weigh 0 @.@ 7 – 2 @.@ 2 kg ( 1 @.@ 5 – 4 @.@ 9 lb ) . Like other crustaceans , lobsters have a hard exoskeleton which they must shed in order to grow , in a process called ecdysis ( moulting ) . This may occur several times a year for young lobsters , but decreases to once every 1 – 2 years for larger animals .

The first pair of pereiopods is armed with a large , asymmetrical pair of claws . The larger one is the " crusher " , and has rounded nodules used for crushing prey ; the other is the " cutter " , which has sharp inner edges , and is used for holding or tearing the prey . Usually , the left claw is the crusher , and the right is the cutter .

The exoskeleton is generally blue above , with spots that coalesce , and yellow below . The red colour associated with lobsters only appears after cooking . This occurs because , in life , the red pigment astaxanthin is bound to a protein complex , but the complex is broken up by the heat of cooking , releasing the red pigment .