Recently Allison Langone, a summer intern with the New England Aquarium lobster lab, stumbled upon a very unique lobster larvae. Check out this newly-hatched conjoined twin!

Conjoined lobster larvae

The conjoined larvae seems to be conjoined on its back side only. Each “twin” has a full set of legs, which is four pairs of walking legs and a pair of claws. It looks like even more than the usual because larvae have extra appendages off their legs. It has two separate beating hearts. The intestinal tracts seem to function—you can see food in the right larva's intestine—though they seem to share stomachs (lobsters have 2 stomachs). These animals also share a set of eyes.


Interestingly, the larva seems to swim fine. In its holding tank, it swam around a bit before heading down to the bottom. Even with special care, an animal like this is never expected to live long. This animal died after a week or so.

This unique lobster hatched in the Aquarium's research lobster hatchery—the last year-round U.S. production facility for American lobsters. Our researchers are on the forefront of American lobster aquaculture research, investigating new and improved methods for raising lobsters in captive environments. Our scientists are investigating nutritional requirements and pigmentation in captive-reared American lobsters. They are also collaborating with fishermen and scientists to develop a greater understanding of Lobster Shell Disease.

A juvenile lobster in the nursery in a lovely shade of orange

Learn more about lobsters and their many shades of shell:

• Lobsters shed their shells periodically—watch a molt happen in pictures
• Aquarium scientist Michael Tlusty explains the colorful chemistry of lobster shells
• Meet a little lobster lost in the touch tank
• Don't forget about the Caribbean spiny lobsters!
• This is real: A bi-colored lobster split straight down the middle
• And here's a fancy calico lobster shell
• You'll never guess how lobsters communicate
• This big guy was spared the dinner plate and found a new home at the Aquarium

Now that you're all experts, come see traditional lobsters—with eight walking legs and a pair of power claws (one crusher and one pincer)! Plan a visit to the Aquarium! The Northern Waters gallery features several handsome adults scurrying around their cold-water exhibit. Look for wee juveniles in the lobster nursery at the Blue Planet Action Center. They're just tiny versions of the adults—complete with the unexpected colors!

You can find American lobsters (Homarus americanus) on exhibit at the Aquarium every day. From the tiny juveniles in the Blue Planet Action Center to the heavy-weights carving out territories in the chilly habitat of the Northern Waters Gallery. Plan a visit today to see New England's favorite crustacean. 

Here's a story of a lobster rite of growing up—molting—brought to you by guest blogger and volunteer Daire Gaj.

What do you do if you're a lobster and you're growing too big for your shell? Climb out of your shell and grow a new one! That's what one of our lobsters behind the scenes did a couple of weeks ago.

Scroll through these pictures to see how molting happens!




















A lobster will undergo many molts in the process of growing up. It's not often that we get to see a lobster molt, though Anita Kim caught it on video back in 2009.

Anita, manager of the Aquarium lobster lab, has watched hundreds of lobsters grow up. She says that lobsters will molt most frequently when they are young, approximately once every two weeks. As they grow older, their growth slows and they may molt once a month. The oldest lobsters will molt once every few years. How long can they continue? Anita says their natural lifespan is unknown. With a tree, you can measure its age by counting the rings in its trunk; with a fish you can count the rings in its ear bones, but lobsters offer no visible indicator of age. It's possible they may be able to reach a hundred years or more.

Lobsters have an advantage when it comes to longevity, because they can regenerate body parts when they molt. “It's like getting a fresh start,” Anita says. This lobster was in the process of regrowing lost claws when it molted. You can see one of its partially grown claws in this photo from early in the process.

The highlighted version shows where the tiny regrown claw was

Sadly this lobster is now clawless again. It appears the molt did not go perfectly, and the lobster had to leave its claws inside the exoskeleton. Anita says it will happen from time to time that lobsters eject their claws while molting. “The claws are typically the difficult part,” she says, picking up a model of a lobster, and pointing to the complicated joints in the feeding claws. So imagine trying to take off a pair of tight-fitting gloves, both at the same time.

The good news is that it will have plenty of time to grow its claws again. While its brothers and sisters in the open ocean are using their claws to break open mollusks, this lobster will be getting chopped shrimp delivered via room service in its home behind the scenes.   

And if you think that's cool, you might be interested in this video of a juvenile lobster molting behind the scenes in our lobster research lab!

Juvenile lobster in the nursery

See lobsters like this juvenile at the Aquarium's lobster nursery! Imagine how many molts are ahead of this little guy. Plan a visit today.

How do you feed a shark or a stingray? Very carefully! That’s a joke that we hear (and tell) a lot at the Trust Family Foundation Shark and Ray Touch Tank. And while it might be a joke, feeding our animals is something we take very seriously at the Aquarium!

Everyone looks forward to breakfast!

Breakfast!

Making sure everyone gets something to eat

Food sinking to the bottom

With a keen sense of smell, these animals can locate their prey easily. And as their mouths are located on, or near, the bottom of their body, scooping up food from sand is no problem. Both the rays and sharks will eat when they are hungry, so it's possible that every animal might not eat at each meal. But with feedings happening throughout the day, everyone has the opportunity to find a yummy snack when they want one.

A white-spotted bamboo shark and her squid snack!

Perhaps next time you visit the Aquarium, you might just be in time to see the shark and stingray touch tank exhibit animals get something to eat. Consider buying your tickets online and printing them at home so you can zip in the door when you arrive. Here's where to start planning your next visit!

And in case you're hungry for a snack of your own, head over to the New England Aquarium's website for environmentally friendly seafood options and seafood recipes. Bon appetit!