🦞 Spiny Lobsters in Punta Cana: Antennae in Every Crevice

On almost any reef dive in Punta Cana, sooner or later a guide will point at a dark ledge and make a little "antennae" sign with two fingers. Look closely and you will see a pair of long, spiny whips waving out of the shadow, and behind them a lobster watching you back. The Caribbean spiny lobster is one of the most common big invertebrates on our reefs, and also one of the most fished animals in the region.

It is not the lobster most visitors picture: no big claws, a creaking voice, and a childhood spent drifting in the open ocean. Knowing a bit about it makes every sighting more interesting, and explains why the Dominican Republic closes lobster fishing for part of every year.

Quick Facts

• Name: Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus
• Size: commonly about 20 cm (8 in) long; the largest reach about 45 cm (18 in)
• Lifespan: reported to live up to about 15 years
• Diet: snails, clams, crabs, sea urchins and worms, plus scavenged food; feeds mostly at night
• Depth: mostly shallow reefs, seagrass and rocky bottoms; recorded to about 90 m (295 ft)
• Range: western Atlantic, from North Carolina and Bermuda through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil
• Status: listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN; heavily fished throughout its range

How to Recognize a Spiny Lobster

The first thing to notice is what is missing: spiny lobsters have no claws. Their defense is a body and two thick antennae covered in forward-pointing spines, plus two large "horns" above the eyes. The antennae are often longer than the body, and they are usually the only part you see sticking out of a crevice.

The Caribbean spiny lobster is mottled brown, tan and reddish, with banded legs and a few large cream or yellow spots on the tail. Two relatives share our reefs, and the DR protects them under the same closed season:

• Spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus): smaller, rarely over 20 cm (8 in), dark maroon to almost black and covered in white spots. It sticks closely to reef crevices and is shier than its cousin.
• Slipper lobsters (Scyllarides species and the sculptured slipper lobster, Parribacus antarcticus): flattened, almost shield-shaped lobsters whose antennae are short, flat plates instead of long whips. The Spanish slipper lobster (Scyllarides aequinoctialis) has a dark, horseshoe-shaped mark on the first tail segment.

Behavior: Social, Noisy and Well Traveled

Spiny lobsters are nocturnal. By day they rest in dens under ledges and in holes, often several to a den with their antennae pointing out toward any threat. At night they leave to forage across the reef, sand and seagrass.

The sound is real, and it is clever. At the base of each antenna there is a soft pad that the lobster pulls across a ridged plate below its eyes. It works on the same stick-and-slip principle as a violin bow, producing a harsh, creaking rasp. Researchers have shown that because it relies on soft tissue, a lobster can keep rasping even right after molting, when its shell is still soft and it is most vulnerable. Lobsters rasp when a predator or a diver gets too close, so if you hear a creak while looking into a crevice, you have probably found one.

Their life story starts far from the reef. The eggs hatch into flat, transparent larvae that drift in the open ocean for many months, which means a lobster on a Punta Cana reef may have been born somewhere else in the Caribbean. Tiny juveniles settle in seagrass and algae beds, then move to the reef as they grow. In some places, notably the Bahamas and Florida, they make famous autumn migrations, marching across the bottom in single-file lines of dozens of animals, each one touching the lobster in front with its antennae.

On the reef they are also prey: groupers, snappers, octopus and nurse sharks all eat them, which is why a den with a narrow entrance and a ring of spiny antennae is so valuable.

Where to See Spiny Lobsters in Punta Cana

Spiny lobsters are common on our local reefs, and on many dives you will see several. Our most reliable sites are Cuevitas, at about 10 m (33 ft), whose small caves and swim-throughs are full of lobster dens, and Park Reef, at about 12 m (40 ft), one of the best sites around for lobster, turtles and squid. The crevices of Rock City hold plenty too.

During the day, look under every ledge and into every dark hole for those antennae. The spotted lobster is a less common find, usually deeper inside a crevice. Slipper lobsters are occasional and well camouflaged; they tend to sit flat against the ceiling of a ledge.

You can find the spiny lobster on our species guide, along with the moray eels that often share the same holes.

The Lobster Closed Season in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic enforces a closed season, or veda, on lobster every year from March 1 to June 30. During those months it is illegal to catch, store or sell Caribbean spiny lobster, spotted lobster and slipper lobsters, and several crab species are covered too. The closure is announced each year by the Ministry of Environment and the national fisheries council (Codopesca) and is coordinated with a regional closed season across Central America, giving the animals time to breed.

What you can do as a visitor:

• Do not order lobster between March and June. It is the simplest way to avoid supporting an illegal catch.
• Never take or disturb lobsters while diving. Leave them on the reef.
• Skip undersized lobster at any time of year; small lobsters have not yet had the chance to breed.

Tips for Divers 🔦

• Look, do not reach. Never grab an antenna or pull a lobster out of its den. Antennae break easily, and morays often share the same holes.
• Stay low and still in front of a den. Lobsters that feel safe will often walk toward the entrance to inspect you.
• Use a light briefly. A torch shows the colors of a lobster in a dark hole; do not keep it in its eyes.
• Listen. With a quiet breathing rhythm you may hear the rasp when you are close.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do spiny lobsters have claws?

No. Unlike the cold-water American lobster, spiny lobsters rely on spines, long antennae and a fast tail-flip escape instead of claws.

Can I eat lobster in Punta Cana?

Outside the veda, yes, lobster is widely served. Between March 1 and June 30 the catch and sale of lobster are prohibited, so it is best not to order it then.

Are spiny lobsters dangerous to divers?

No. They cannot pinch, but their spines are sharp, which is another good reason not to handle them.

Why do I hear creaking near a ledge?

That is likely a spiny lobster rasping its antennae, a warning sound it makes when it feels threatened.

Ready to go looking for antennae in the crevices? Join us for a two-tank reef dive in Punta Cana and our guides will show you where the lobsters live.