How Many Eggs Does a Lobster Lay? A Look at the Impressive Lobster Reproduction Process

1. An adult lobster can lay up to 100,000 eggs, depending on the size of the female. For nine to twelve months, the female carries her fertilized eggs on the outside of her under her tail, attached to her swimmerets. Her eggs are about the size of a rice grain, dark green, and shaped in a way that isn’t even. In Canadian waters, eggs are hatched between June and September, depending on water temperature.

2. After hatching, prelarvae are attached to the female. Soon after, they shed their skins, letting the stage one larvae swim up into the water column, just a few centimeters below the surface. This is the start of stage one of the planktonic larval phase. Because they are clear and about the size of a pea, the larvae are somewhat safe from being eaten.

3. The lobster is about the size of a thumbnail in stages two and three of its planktonic larval phase. At stage three, larvae have a fully developed tail fan. Because the larvae aren’t very good at swimming, wind and water currents control a lot of their movement. In order to grow, all stages of a lobster must molt, which means losing its old, hard shell and putting on a new one.

4. In the postlarval stage, the lobster settles to the bottom of the ocean and finds shelter. Young lobsters like to live near rocks, reefs, or grass beds, where they can stay hidden for their first few years. At this stage, the lobster looks like a smaller version of an adult lobster.

5. In the early bottom phase, lobsters are mostly shelter restricted. Although they have developed the ability to move their tail effectively, their overall movement is limited. As they grow larger they begin to move outside their burrows looking for food.

6. Lobsters reach adulthood within five to seven years, depending on water temperature. They spend most of their time alone in their shelters. Adult lobsters are most active after sunset, when they leave their shelter in search of food.

The male and female lobsters form a bond before and during mating process. It is the female’s home where she first sheds her skin. She then mates with the male and stays with him for a few days. She later moves on her own, gorging herself on food while her new shell hardens. The eggs typically hatch approximately two years after molting/mating.

Lobsters are fascinating creatures. Not only are they deliciously tasty with meaty claws and tails, but they have an complex life cycle and reproductive process. A key part of that is the female lobster’s ability to produce an astounding number of eggs. But how many eggs does a lobster lay exactly? Let’s take a closer look!

As a seafood lover and amateur marine biologist I’ve always been intrigued by lobsters. Their life underwater is so different from us land-dwellers. Learning about how lobsters mate carry eggs, and then hatch thousands of tiny larvae left me amazed at mother nature’s handiwork.

In this article, we’ll explore the lobster reproduction process from start to finish Here’s what we’ll cover

How lobster mating works
How females carry fertilized eggs
The incredible number of eggs laid by female lobsters
The development process from egg to larvae
How researchers determine lobster egg estimates
Why lobsters lay so many eggs

Grab some butter and lemon wedges as we dive deep into the world of lobster egg-laying!

A Quick Overview of Lobster Mating

Before a female lobster can lay eggs, mating must occur. Here’s a quick rundown of how lobsters get together:

Mating occurs shortly after the female molts and sheds her shell. This is when her shell is soft and she is receptive.
The male and female lobster bond and stay close together for several days before and after mating.
Actual mating occurs in the shelter of the male and can last just a few seconds.
After mating, the now-fertilized female leaves and eats voraciously to harden her new shell.
She won’t lay her eggs until about 2 years later when she next molts and mates again.

So that’s the basics of how lobsters get down! Next let’s look at what happens after fertilization occurs.

Female Lobsters Carry Thousands of Eggs Externally

Following mating in her soft-shell state, the female lobster retains the fertilized eggs inside her body for 9-12 months. When she is finally ready to lay them, the eggs are released and attached to the tiny hair-like swimmerets under her tail.

The freshly laid eggs are tiny, about the size of a pinhead or 1/16 of an inch. At this point they are an oval shape and dark green color.

The female lobster will carry the eggs externally like this for another 9-12 months as they continue to develop. She basically has thousands of little green spheres clustered under her tail for almost 2 years!

The Incredible Number of Eggs Laid

Now here’s the truly astounding part – how many eggs does a female lobster carry during those 9-12 months?

According to lobster reproductive experts, the number depends on the size of the female:

A 1 pound female lobster will carry approximately 8,000 eggs on average.
A 5 pound female may carry up to 40,000 eggs.
A 10+ pound large female can carry 100,000 eggs or more!

That’s an incredible amount of offspring for the lobster to protect and eventually release into the ocean. No wonder lobsters are so abundant even with the pressures of commercial fishing. A single large female releases enough babies to potentially replenish the stock.

Developing from Tiny Egg to Larvae

So what happens after the female lobster has carried her eggs safely for 9-12 months? The eggs begin hatching into larvae which marks a whole new stage in the lobster life cycle.

When the eggs finally hatch, the tiny lobster larvae float close to the ocean surface for 4-6 weeks, going through several molt stages. This planktonic larval phase keeps them safely away from benthic predators.

Eventually the surviving post-larval lobsters will settle on the sea floor and continue developing into juveniles and adults. Out of the 100,000 or so eggs from a single brood, typically only about 2 lobsters will grow large enough to legally harvest.

How Do Researchers Estimate Lobster Egg Counts?

Marine biologists have studied egg-bearing female lobsters in labs and in the wild to determine average egg numbers. But how exactly do they count thousands of tiny lobster eggs?

A few methods researchers use include:

Carefully removing a small egg sample and counting under a microscope.
Weighing the entire egg mass and extrapolating total numbers based on egg weight.
Measuring the orange part of a lobster’s tail where eggs are carried and calculating egg density.
Counting eggs from photos taken in the wild using digital analysis tools.

So while getting an exactcount is difficult, scientists can estimate within a reliable range based on the female lobster’s size and other factors. The numbers reveal the impressive scope of lobster reproductive capacity.

Why Lobsters Lay So Many Eggs

After learning a single lobster can lay up to 100,000 eggs or more, you may be wondering – why so many? There are a few key reasons lobsters produce such huge numbers of offspring:

High mortality rates – Lobster larvae and juveniles face heavy predation. More eggs improve the odds some will survive.
Long maturity – Lobsters take 5-8 years to sexually mature. Many don’t survive to adulthood.
Mating cycle – Female lobsters only mate every 1-2 years after molting. More eggs per batch are optimal.
Reproductive strategy – producing copious eggs maximizes genetic proliferation.
Environmental pressures – Disease, warming waters, fishing, etc. make more eggs a hedge.

So in the risky ocean environment, laying hundreds of thousands of eggs improves the lobster’s chance for generational survival and continuation of the species.

The Fascinating Lobster Reproductive Process

The whole process from mating, to egg development, to hatching tiny larvae in huge numbers is simply astounding. We should appreciate just how much effort lobsters put into propagating their species whenever we crack open those hard shells and dip their meat into melted butter.

Next time you eat lobster, remember that hundreds of thousands of microscopic eggs had to be laid first to bring that delicious meat to your dinner plate. It’s a reproductive process hundreds of millions of years in the making!

how many eggs does a lobster lay

Search Search Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Lobster Babies | National Geographic

Do lobsters lay eggs?

Yes, lobsters lay eggs. A freshly-laid lobster egg is the size of the head of a pin (1/16″). A 1-pound female lobster usually carries approximately 8000 eggs. A 9-pound female may carry more than 100,000 eggs. The female lobster carries the eggs inside for 9 to 12 months and then for another 9 to 12 months attached to the swimmerets under her tail.

How many eggs does a lobster carry?

an egg-bearing lobster, also known as a “berried” lobster. A freshly laid lobster egg is the size of the head of a pin (1/16″). A 1-pound female lobster usually carries approximately 8,000 eggs. A 9-pound female may carry more than 100,000 eggs.

How long do female lobsters stay attached to their eggs?

The developing embryos remain attached to the female for an estimated 9 – 11 months. Brooding females care for and protect their eggs. Landing egg bearing female lobsters is prohibited in all US and Canadian waters. This management measure is one of the very best protections afforded to lobsters.

How long do lobster eggs last?

The female lobster carries the eggs inside for 9 to 12 months and then for another 9 to 12 months attached to the swimmerets under her tail. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will float near the surface for 4 to 6 weeks. The few that survive will settle to the bottom and continue to develop as baby lobsters.