A large edible crustacean with a spiny shell and long heavy antennae, but lacking the large claws of true lobsters.
Family Palinuridae: several genera and species, in particular Palinuris vulgaris of European waters, and the American genus Panulirus
‘Without claws, spiny lobsters use their antennae to fend off predators.’
‘The Norway lobster is a true lobster; but the spiny lobster, which exists in various species in tropical and subtropical waters around the world, is not.’
‘The house specialties are in shellfish: Maine lobster, spiny lobster, dungeness crab, and live Santa Barbara sea urchin.’
‘The spiny lobster and sand lobster totalling about 2,600 tonnes are caught annually from the inshore waters by mechanised and non-mechanised units.’
‘There are a fair number of nudibranchs and flatworms, all brightly coloured and sometimes difficult to distinguish, featherstars, shrimps, spiny lobsters and other hole-dwelling critters.’
‘During the past decade, however, evidence has accumulated that at least two marine animals, sea turtles and spiny lobsters, are able to derive positional information from the Earth's field.’
‘Recent studies indicate that Caribbean spiny lobsters have an advanced magnetic compass sense that enables them to travel long distances in darkness to specific den locations.’
‘These results provide strong evidence that spiny lobsters possess a magnetic positioning system that is capable of helping them navigate to specific geographic areas.’
‘California spiny lobsters can be found along the rocky coastline of California, Baja California and the Channel Islands.’
‘The Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, lives on hard bottoms and coral reefs throughout the waters of the Caribbean and the southeastern United States.’
‘In the same way that a child's first week of violin lessons sends the family running for earplugs, so may the spiny lobster keep predators at bay, biologists say.’
‘Follow the vertical wall on your left and it brings you round to a sheltered bay where nudibranchs and spiny lobsters are to be found.’
‘White-spotted moray eels flashed their teeth, a lone hermit crab barrelled along and three young spiny lobsters displayed themselves daringly on a ledge.’
‘Today we do not have live spiny lobsters in great abundance.’
‘A night dive on the house reef revealed spiny lobsters and red crabs, morays, scorpionfish and lionfish.’
‘Depending on their size, they are home to spiny lobsters, arrow crabs and a wide assortment of blennies.’
‘It also has a taste for octopus, spiny lobster and crab.’
‘There are spiny lobsters under most of the rocks, all with intact antennae.’
‘The rocky reefs and the small caverns formed within them are home to groupers, moray and conger eels, scorpionfish, many octopuses and the occasional spiny lobster.’
‘Also known as crayfish or spiny lobster, this is Australia's most valuable marine species.’
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