A boy between two mounted lobsters caught off the New Jersey coast. 1916 (500X388)

Doubtful they are that old.

Lobsters during their first couple years of life molt many time. Up to 10 in their first year. But, it slows to about a single molt every 2-3 years.

They don’t die from old age. But, they are not immortal. The molting process is very energy intensive and very stressful on them. The ones that are not eaten or caught by humans almost always die from Shell disease. That causes bacteria to seeps into lobster shells and forms scar tissue, adheres the crustaceans’ bodies to their shells. The lobster, attempting to molt, gets stuck and dies.

I believe the largest lobster every found in the US was in 1977. It was around 100 years old.

Those are about 3.5ft long and probably 25-30 pounds. I would estimate their ages to be around 30-50 years old.

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