American lobster
Homarus americanus H.Milne Edwards, 1837
LCLeast Concerncrabs and lobsters
The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is a species in the family Nephropidae, order Decapoda. It has been recorded in 14 countries, most often in Canada, United States and United Kingdom. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the American lobster
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Recorded in
- 14 countriessrc for Recorded in
Where does the American lobster live?
Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF. This shows where the species has been recorded, including zoos and introduced populations. It is not a definitive range.
The American lobster has been recorded in 14 countries, from 903,650 records.
- None on record
- 1–9
- 10–99
- 100–999
- 1,000+
The same figures as a list, most records first
What is the American lobster?
The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. It is also known as Atlantic lobster, Canadian lobster, northern lobster, Canadian Reds, or Maine lobster. It is sometimes called the true lobster or common lobster, but those names are ambiguous. It can reach a body length of 64 cm (25 in), and a mass of over 20 kilograms (44 lb), making it not only the heaviest crustacean in the world, but also the heaviest of all living arthropod species. Its closest relative is the European lobster Homarus gammarus, which can be distinguished by its coloration and the lack of spines on the underside of the rostrum. American lobsters are usually bluish green to brown with red spines, but several color variations have been observed.
Wikipedia contributors, “American lobster”, Wikipedia (revision 1384704820), retrieved 2026-11-11. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; this block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the American lobster endangered?
The American lobster is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the American lobster classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classMalacostraca
- orderDecapoda
- familyNephropidae
- genusHomarus
- SpeciesHomarus americanus H.Milne Edwards, 1837
Synonyms Astacus americanus, Astacus marinus, Homarus mainensis
Names in other languages (13)
- homard américainFrench
- Amerikanischer HummerGerman
- Amerikaanse zeekreeftDutch
- Amerikansk hummerSwedish
- アメリカンロブスターJapanese
- 美洲螯龍蝦Chinese
- كركند أمريكيArabic
- अमेरिकी झींगा मछलीHindi
- американский омарRussian
- Atlantic lobsterEnglish
- True lobsterEnglish
- Langosta americanaSpanish
- Bogavante americanoSpanish
GBIFWikidataWikipediaNCBI TaxonomyITISEncyclopedia of LifeiNaturalistWoRMS
Relatives of the American lobster
Other species in the same order Decapoda.
Coconut crab
Birgus latro
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
Where does the American lobster live?
The American lobster has openly licensed sighting records from 14 countries on GBIF. The most records come from Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.
Is the American lobster endangered?
The American lobster is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the American lobster?
The American lobster (Homarus americanus) belongs to the family Nephropidae in the order Decapoda.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0 · live API 2026-11-11
GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · live API 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base. - GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only) · CC BY 4.0 · live API 2026-11-11
GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records. - Wikimedia Commons · Per file · live API 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file. - English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · live API 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). American lobster (Homarus americanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-lobster
“American lobster (Homarus americanus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-lobster.
@misc{american_lobster_2026,
title = {American lobster (Homarus americanus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-lobster},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}