Behavior of juvenile American lobsters, Homarus americanus, under predation risk

The influence of predation risk and food deprivation on the behavior and activity of juvenile American lobsters, Homarus americanus Milne Edwards, was examined in single and paired individuals in laboratory experiments performed during 1988 and in the winter of 1991/92. In the presence of a predator (the tautog Tautoga onitis Linnaeus) restrained behind a barrier, single lobsters significantly reduced the time spent feeding at night, consumed fewer mussels, and quickly brought them back to shelter.