How Big Was The Lobster With A Claw That Size?

The Alma Lobster shop recently found a large lobster claw, and posted a photo to social media. The question now is, “How big was the lobster that this claw came from?

The claw is 18 inches long, and weighs around seven pounds.

Assistant Professor in Biology at Mount Allison University Dr. Andrea Morash says the claws grow in relation to the body size and it is possible to estimate the size of the lobster just by looking at the claw, “I would say it is probably somewhere in the vicinity of 25 to 30 pounds based on the eighteen inch claw size. It is probably a pretty hefty lobster.”

She says not many lobsters do reach that size, especially with the harvest, “They tend to take a lot of the smaller ones, so that older ones can reach that size and bigger. Some lobsters can get up to the 40 pound range over time,” Dr. Morash says.

Dr. Morash says it normally take around five to seven years for a lobster to get to market size of around one to two pounds,  but if they manage to avoid getting caught, they can live to between 30 and 100 years, and can get very large.

Morash adds, the lobster most likely lost the claw in a fight, “It could have been with another lobster or a predator perhaps. The other reason it could have lost it, is during the molting process. Occasionally, what can happen, is when the claw muscle shrinks, it doesn’t shrink small enough and in that case the lobster will sometimes throw the claw.”

She also points out that the claw on this lobster will most likely grow back to be the same size as the one it lost, but it will take time.