In the summer of 2019 in California, our annual lobster dive was started with excitement. Since the story is about the Lobster mouth incident, how our colleague saved herself.
on that day the weather was perfect, and everyone was happy and joyous. Among us was a brave girl, Jessica, who loves adventure. Little did we know this trip would become unforgettable. And happened the same.
The dive usually began. We put on our gear, joked, and dove into the clear water. The underwater world was vibrant with colours and sea creatures. Our mission was to find the most enormous lobsters in California.
Our brave girl Jessica spotted a giant lobster hiding in the shadow during our visit.
If You are looking For a Florida Starfish Species Identification Complete Guide, Read this article.
Excited, she reached out to grab it. Suddenly, the lobster bit her while clinging its strong jaws onto her finger, and bad Panic erupted in her finger. Jessica’s face showed pain, but she held on and remained calm.
Back on the boat, there was chaos.
Blood dripped from Jessica’s finger, but she stayed calm. We tried to make light of the situation by joking about the lobster, which we named “Chomper.” And yes, we succeeded, but being a marine biologist, it always amazes me living creatures’ defense systems. Spiny lobster mouth strength was quite impressive and ferocious.
If you look at lobster anatomy, lobster mouth parts are complex, with parts like mandibles, maxillae, and maxillipeds.
What are Mandibles in Lobster Mouth? An in Depth Look
Just strong jaws are used for grabbing, crushing, and grinding food. They have Maxillae, which are smaller parts of the lobster mouth that help move food.
Maxillipeds are leg-like parts that hold and move food easily in a lobster mouth.
Lobster mouth can be used for biting like American lobsters, biting as hard as a lion. Jessica needed surgery, and it was likely she’d lose her fingernail or fingertip. Despite the pain, she decided to keep the lobster as a reminder. If you are examining their mouth where are lobsters teeth? Then
Lobsters don’t have teeth in their mouth like humans. then Instead, they use a gastric mill in their stomach to grind food.
They have tiny hairs around their mouth to taste and feel food. They usually eat clams, mussels, worms, and even other lobsters. After surgery, Jessica began to heal. The lobster stood as a symbol of her bravery and the sea’s unexpected dangers.
A giant lobster mouth has stronger parts. Studies show their crushing force increases with size. While lobsters can regrow their claws, their mouthparts remain the same throughout their life, showing their power and strength.
We shared the story with friends and family. The lesson was clear: be cautious of a lobster mouth.
- Lobsters use tiny legs (maxillipeds) to clean their mouths after eating.
- The lobster’s mouth opening is small compared to their body size.
- They process food in stages: grab with claws, tear with mandibles, grind with maxillae, and push into the stomach with maxillipeds.
- Their stomach has three hard teeth for grinding food.
- They eat about 2% of their body weight daily.
- Older lobsters have stronger mouthparts.
- After molting, their mouthparts are soft, and they can’t eat hard foods.
- Spiny lobsters have weaker mandibles than clawed lobsters.
- Deep-sea lobsters have particular mouths for their diets.
- Jessica’s adventure reminded us of lobsters’ strength and complexity. Whether diving for fun or research, always respect the power of a lobster’s mouth.
You can read my other blog about Lobster Roach, that is quite different from real lobster.
FAQS(Frequently Asked Questions)
Do lobsters have teeth?
No, lobsters dont have teeth. They have gastric mill in their stomach used to grind food.
Do blue lobster have teeth in their stomach?
Yes, blue lobsters have teeth like structures called gastric mills located at lobster stomach which is located just behind the eyes. These gastric mills is used for grinding.
Do lobsters have mouths?
Yes, lobsters have mouths for eating and a gastric mill in their stomachs to grind food. They use mandibles to crush food and maxillipeds to handle it.
Reasons of lobster foaming at the mouth?
Lobsters may foam at the mouth due to stress, poor water quality, or exposure to pollutants. It can also happen during molting or when they are handled roughly.
In Conclusion:
Lobsters have strong mouthparts for capturing and crushing food: mandibles grip and break, maxillae manipulate, and maxillipeds transfer food. Their stomachs feature a gastric mill to grind food, aiding digestion and enabling them to efficiently consume various prey, adapted perfectly to their marine habitat.
