The Tropical Rock Lobster Habitat

The tropical rock lobster is a type of spiny lobster that lives in tropical waters off the coast of Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and other areas throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It has long antenna and is brightly-colored. The more tropical the region where it is found, the brighter the coloring of the tropical rock lobster. The lobster dwells throughout crevices, ledges and caves of reef structures from a varying range of depths, depending on time of day and its search for prey.

  1. Found in the Tropical Waters of Indo-Pacific Regions

    • Tropical rock lobsters are native to areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans where coral reef structures are present. The waters off the coasts of Australia, especially in the southern region, are home to many tropical rock lobsters. The Philippines and New Zealand also have reef shelves in shallow and deep parts of the ocean that provide natural habitats for this colorful crustacean. The tropical rock lobster can be found living alone, in pairs or in groups in and around the reefs of these tropical waters.

    Reef Dwellers

    • The primary habitat of tropical rock lobsters is the reef. They dwell in, around and on shelves, crevices, caves and holes of coral and rock that are parts of the reef structure. They are also often found coral and rock shelters in lagoons. Tropical rock lobsters spend a lot of time, especially during daylight hours, hiding in nooks and caves of the reef to conceal themselves from predators. These nocturnal crustaceans surface from their hiding places at night to crawl along the reef in the pursuit of prey such as shelled mollusks and other crustaceans.

    Habitat Depths

    • The tropical rock lobster can be found in a wide range of depths along the coral reef in Indo-Pacific regions. They have been seen in shallow waters around 5 feet in depth, but have also been found hunting for prey near the bottom of the reef. Typically, they move to deeper waters in their habitat to hunt and scavenge for food. However, most tropical rock lobsters dwell in mid-range depths, commonly around 65 to 330 feet.

    Activity Within the Reef

    • Tropical rock lobsters spend their time in various areas of their habit. The young are often hiding in more shallow areas in the cover of coral shelves. During the daylight hours, the crevices, nooks and ledges of rock and coral provide safe hiding places for the colorful crustaceans in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Tropical rock lobsters seem to lose their natural urge to hide at night, when they emerge and crawl along the surface and edge of the coral reef. They spend more time in deeper levels of their rocky habitats at night, where more of their prey dwells.