European Lobster
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Homarus gammarus
Common & widespread around the British & Irish coasts.
Like other crustaceans, lobsters have a hard exoskeleton which they must shed in order to grow, in a process called ecdysis (molting). This may occur several times a year for young lobsters, but decreases to once every 1–2 years for larger animals.
The first pair of pereiopods is armed with a large, asymmetrical pair of feet.
The larger one is the "crusher", and has rounded nodules used for crushing prey; the other is the "cutter", which has sharp inner edges, and is used for holding or tearing the prey.
Usually, the left claw is the crusher, and the right is the cutter.