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You may have shopped several times for lobsters and you may have relished a lobster meal as well, but you'll be surprised at the things you don't know about these creatures. Here are some interesting facts about lobsters that you're probably not aware of.

Lobsters have been popular in Europe for a very long time. In fact, its reputation as a prize delicacy can be traced to European nobility. Surprisingly enough lobsters gained appreciation in America only in the 1900's. It was considered as the "poor mans" food in Canada and the U.S. and was used as fertilizer and for feeding slaves. Things changed only when they began shipping live lobsters from the coasts to the cities.

Have you ever wondered what lobsters feed on? Many people believe that lobsters are cannibalistic and feed on one another. Well, this is only half-true. They normally feed on sea creatures that thrive on the bottom of the ocean like crabs, clams, snails and mussels. However, they do feed on tinier lobsters.

There are two kinds of lobsters: The American Lobster which is found on the east coast of North America, from Newfoundland to North Carolina and the spiny lobster generally found in Florida, California and the Caribbean. The American lobster has got claws on the first four legs. This is missing in the spiny lobster. However, the spiny lobster has got a pair of horns above the eyes. All lobsters have five pairs of legs.

Lobsters shed their shells to grow and emerge from the old shell with a paper thin new larger shells. Lobsters during this time are extremely vulnerable and prefer to hide until the new shell begins to harden. To hasten this process the lobster eats the old shell to replenish any lost minerals. Most lobsters molt once a year. Younger lobsters may molt even twice a year while older lobsters don't molt as frequently.

If a lucky lobster can avoid a steaming pot they can generally live for up to fifty years. The largest lobster ever caught was estimated to be a hundred years old, while a 1 pound lobster takes seven to eight years to reach marketable size.

Lobsters come in varied colors like red, bluish green, yellow and white. You'll also find lobsters with two different colors. You may come across spots on a lobster. The blue lobster is very rare and its blue color is due to a genetic anomaly. When discovered in traps they are considered a good omen and a lucky charm for New England Lobstermen, and signal a good financial future. Alas, blue lobsters, like other colors, turn red when cooked.

To all the folks who brought home live lobsters and sought to keep them alive in the bath tub, (not kidding), lobster cannot survive in fresh water. It can only thrive in seawater.

This may surprise you but lobsters can also regenerate a few of their body parts. This means that they can grow new legs and claws at will.

Lobster traps are used to collect live lobsters. These traps are designed to allow lobsters to enter but not exit. It is said that a lobster caught in a trap will pull other lobsters back down and prevent them from successfully escaping (sounds like an undesirable human trait, doesn't it?)

If you're guilt ridden about the pain a lobster will feel when plunged into boiling water, you needn't worry. Lobsters have a nervous system similar to that of a grasshopper. They die as soon as they are put into boiling water and feel the stimulus but absolutely no pain. The tales of lobsters screaming when dipped in boiling water are just myths.

Now that you have this lobster 101 information, come on down and take advantage of our "at cost" lobsters special this week. ALERT: Captain Jerry's will soon have online capabilities for shipping coast to coast. Stay tuned.....

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