Q 01/05

Lobsters are decapods, a name that literally means what?

A) Ten-footed

B) Two-clawed

C) Hard-shelled

D) Sea-walker

Answer · why

A) Ten-footed

The big front claws count as legs, which is how a creature with eight walking legs still adds up to ten.

Q 02/05

What colour is a lobster's blood?

A) Red

B) Blue

C) Green

D) Clear

Answer · why

B) Blue

Snails and spiders share the same copper-based pigment; iron-based haemoglobin is what makes ours red.

Q 03/05

Roughly how long can a lobster live in the wild?

A) 5 to 10 years

B) 15 to 20 years

C) 45 to 50 years

D) 30 to 35 years

Answer · why

C) 45 to 50 years

Age is hard to measure because lobsters shed their shells, taking any growth rings with them, so estimates lean on size.

Q 04/05

Which enzyme, usually off in adult vertebrates, do lobsters keep producing, possibly explaining their longevity?

A) Amylase

B) Lactase

C) Catalase

D) Telomerase

Answer · why

D) Telomerase

It repairs the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, and older lobsters may actually be more fertile than younger ones.

Q 05/05

The green substance inside a cooked lobster, called tomalley by cooks, is which organ?

A) The hepatopancreas

B) The stomach

C) The gonads

D) The gills

Answer · why

A) The hepatopancreas

It does the job of both a liver and a pancreas, and some diners consider it the tastiest part.