Magnetic Navigation

I've received some reader questions about whether lobsters can navigate their way around the seafloor using the earth's magnetic field.

As far as I know, clawed American lobsters cannot do this.

However, at least some species of spiny lobster (the ones without claws) do have this ability, and it is amazing. Read all about it.

Comments (1):

- This reminds me of a study I read about where scientists noticed freshly molted lobsters bumbling about for a while after shedding. Someone examined the molted skins and found rocks embedded in folds in the shell. So they had an experiment where lobsters would molt in either rock-filled or rock-free tanks. the lobsters that molted in rock-free tanks never came out of the "bumble-fish" stage, while the lobsters with rocks seemed to know their way around better.