Norway lobster

Nephrops norvegicus · The Norway lobster is a slim, coral-colored lobster that lives in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Mediterranean Sea.

Also called Dublin Bay prawn, Langoustine, Scampi, Dublin prawn.

Norway lobster
Photo: © Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0
Norway lobster
Photo: Ecomare, CC BY-SA 4.0
Norway lobster
Photo: Abujoy, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassMalacostraca
OrderDecapoda
FamilyNephropidae
GenusNephrops
SpeciesNephrops norvegicus

Where it lives

Muddy seabeds from Iceland to Morocco, including the North Sea and Mediterranean.

Fun facts

  • Its genus name, Nephrops, comes from Greek words meaning "kidney eye", because its compound eyes are kidney-shaped.
  • Norway lobsters spend most of their time lying in their burrows or by the entrance, leaving only to forage or mate.
  • Evidence suggests that this lobster is a major eater of jellyfish.
  • In 1995, scientists found a tiny creature living on its mouthparts that turned out to be the first member of an entirely new phylum, Cycliophora.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).