Spiny lobster

Photo: terence zahner · CC BY-NC

Caribbean spiny lobsters lack the large claws of their temperate relatives but compensate with long, spiny antennae used for communication and predator deterrence. During the day they shelter communally in reef crevices and undercuts — the volcanic overhangs of Frigate Bay are ideal habitat. At night they forage across sandy areas for molluscs, worms, and detritus. Ecologically important as prey for large predators and as scavengers that recycle organic matter. Heavily targeted by commercial trap fisheries throughout the Caribbean; Saint Kitts maintains a seasonal closed period to protect spawning aggregations.