Lobsters are opportunistic feeders that primarily eat fresh food rather than scavenging dead matter. Their diet includes a variety of marine animals such as fish, crabs, clams, mussels, sea urchins, starfish, marine worms, and other crustaceans. Some lobsters are also cannibalistic and may eat other lobsters. Additionally, lobsters consume some plants and algae depending on the species. They hunt mostly at night and use their claws to catch and break open prey. Lobsters have teeth located in their stomach, where food is ground up after being caught
. Different types of lobsters have slightly varied diets:
- American lobster eats fish, mollusks, crustaceans, algae, and some plants.
- European lobster consumes crabs, worms, urchins, starfish, algae, and zooplankton.
- Caribbean spiny lobster feeds on macroalgae, mollusks, marine worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, detritus, sea urchins, and carrion.
- Caribbean furry lobster mainly eats shrimps
In summary, lobsters are carnivorous and omnivorous opportunists feeding on a wide range of small marine animals and some plant material. They actively hunt fresh prey rather than relying mostly on scavenging
