Are squat lobsters lobsters? No says Sarah McPherson <\/p>
Squat lobsters \u2013 such as this tiny specimen above \u2013 might well be squat, but lobsters they are not.<\/p>\n
Squat lobsters belong instead to a group of crustaceans that also includes hermit crabs<\/a><\/strong> and porcelain crabs<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 which, to complicate things further, aren\u2019t true crabs.<\/p>\n Members of this group have undergone an evolutionary transition from a shrimp-like ancestor to something shorter and, well, squatter, folding away their abdomen beneath their carapace.<\/p>\n True crabs did something similar, albeit from a different starting point on the crustacean family tree, while true lobsters retained their ancestral body plan.<\/p>\n Squat lobsters are up to 10cm long (including the tail)<\/p>\n A squat lobster\u2019s diet is pretty varied, from crustaceans and marine worms to plankton, algae, and even dead animals and plants<\/p>\nHow big are squat lobsters?<\/h2>\n
What do squat lobsters eat?<\/h2>\n