# American lobster (*Homarus americanus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-lobster  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| 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) |
| Recorded in | 14 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Malacostraca
- order: Decapoda
- family: Nephropidae
- genus: Homarus
- species: *Homarus americanus* H.Milne Edwards, 1837

Synonyms: *Astacus americanus*, *Astacus marinus*, *Homarus mainensis*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

Canada (882504), United States (21015), United Kingdom (55), Sweden (36), Denmark (11), Ireland (7), St. Pierre & Miquelon (5), Spain (4), Japan (4), U.S. Virgin Islands (3), Greece (2), Croatia (2), France (1), Norway (1)

## Common questions

### 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

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), 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](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: American lobster (Homarus americanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-lobster