AnAge entry for Homarus americanus

Classification (HAGRID: 00012)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Arthropoda (Taxon entry)
        Class: Malacostraca
            Order: Decapoda
                Family: Nephropidae
                    Genus: Homarus
Species: Homarus americanus
Common name: American lobster

Maximum longevity: 100 years (wild)
Source: ref. 2
Sample size: Medium
Data quality: Acceptable
Observations: Lobsters grow throughout their lifespan. Molting appears to prevent the accumulation of wear and tear. The biggest lobsters ever caught have been estimated to be at least 50-100 years old, and may be even older. Egg production appears to increase with age. Therefore, this could be a species with negligible senescence [0002], though further studies are necessary to confirm it.

: No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.

No information on metabolism is available.

[0594] Klapper et al. (1998), Longevity of lobsters is linked to ubiquitous telomerase expression (PubMed)
[0002] Caleb Finch (1990), Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome
[0013] Alex Comfort (1979), Ageing: The Biology of Senescence