Fun Langoustine Facts For Kidsprawns

The langoustine, Nephrops Norvegicus, is a type of lobster that is also known as Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, or scampi because of its meat. This lobster is mostly found in the ocean and sea beds around Europe and the Mediterranean region.

They are very popular because of their tasty meat which can be prepared in various delicious recipes. Their eyes are kidney-shaped which provides the name for their genus ('Nephros' means kidney in Greek and 'ops' signifies eyes).

Scotland provides more than half of the langoustines in the world and this lobster has become an important part of their fishing industry.

However, many countries have also noted that their population is declining and have accordingly imposed limits or quotas on catching them for selling. Keep reading the article for some more interesting facts about langoustine or the Norway lobster!

If you liked this article with great langoustine facts, also check out the other articles with amazing facts about prawns and mantis shrimp.

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Langoustine Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Langoustine?

The langoustine is a type of lobster.

What class of animal does a Langoustine belong to?

The langoustine belongs to the class of Malacostraca and it belongs to the phylum of Arthropoda and the order of Decapoda.

How many Langoustines are there in the world?

Since langoustines are mostly found in seas and oceans, it has not been possible for scientists to record the number of langoustines there are in the world. In addition to that, the fact that they are caught by fisheries for their meat makes it more difficult to estimate their total population.

Where does a Langoustine live?

Langoustines live in some of Europe's oceans and sea - primarily in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean region. They are also found in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, and the Adriatic Sea.

What is a Langoustine's habitat?

The langoustine's habitat usually comprises of a seabed which is quite muddy in nature and is full of sediments. They prefer the sediment to be soft-textured and live where there is an abundance of clay and silt.

Who do Langoustines live with?

Langoustines are solitary animals. Although they do live in packs, clusters of their population are scattered throughout the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean region.

How long does a Langoustine live?

The lifespan of a langoustine is usually between 5-10 years. However, some animals of this species may even live for 15 years!

How do they reproduce?

The reproduction process of langoustines is not uniform across all the animals of this species, but varies depending on the geographical location of the mating pair along with the temperature conditions.

The breeding cycle for langoustines lasts for an entire year with the birth of usually one brood per year. Both males and females become sexually mature after they go through their molting stage.

Many invertebrate animals shed their old exoskeleton or their outer hard shell and regrow a new, larger exoskeleton - this process is known as molting. The mating process takes place during the spring or winter months after the females have completed their molting.

Their ovaries develop through the subsequent spring and summer months after which the female finally lays the eggs in the late months of summer or during early autumn. These eggs hatch into larva during late winter or early spring months.

The female langoustines who are carrying the eggs stay in their burrows during the entire incubation period of around nine months. The incubation of langoustine eggs depends on the surrounding temperature as a cold climate might lead to a longer incubation period.

This means that by the time the female langoustine has laid eggs for one cycle in a cold region, it may end up missing the mating process for the next cycle.

What is their conservation status?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the langoustine under the category of Least Concern. Although the exact population of the langoustine is not known, their population is quite stable and is not at any immediate risk of extinction.

Langoustine Fun facts

What do Langoustines look like?

These lobsters have the typical body shape but are smaller than the larger lobsters present in seawater. The exoskeleton of this shellfish is pale orange with a pink tint. Its abdomen is longer and divided into segments. Langoustine tails are quite broad and fan-shaped.

It has 10 legs and the first three pairs have large claws. The last two pairs of legs are quite thin in comparison. The underside of the body is white-colored and its legs are mostly orange and white too.

How cute are they?

This type of lobster is not very cute at all. With its harder outer shell, thin legs, and huge black eyes, it is a strange-looking lobster!

How do they communicate?

Lobsters have a very strange way of communicating with each other. In order to attract the other's attention or interact with them, lobsters eject urine at each other!

How big is a Langoustine?

A langoustine is usually of size between the range of 7-8 in (18-20 cm). At times, they may become even bigger and grow up to 10 in (25 cm)!

A California king snake which can grow up to 70 in (177.8 cm) long is almost 10 times bigger than a langoustine.

How fast can Langoustines move?

Like other lobsters, langoustines use their 10 legs to slowly walk or crawl on the sea bed. When they have to move very fast, they swim backward by curling their abdomen.

How much does a Langoustine weigh?

This type of medium-sized lobster weighs around 0.44 lb (200 g).

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no separate, unique names to denote the male and female type of the Norway lobster so they are just referred to as male and female langoustine.

What would you call a baby Langoustine?

A baby langoustine can be called a cricket because that is the name usually given to baby lobsters.

What do they eat?

This type of lobster is a carnivorous predator and mainly eats worms, fish, and jellyfish found in the water.

Are they dangerous?

Langoustines or Dublin Bay prawns are not dangerous to humans but they are carnivorous predators in their habitat.

Would they make a good pet?

Langoustines would not make a good pet at all simply because they are just not the type of animal one could keep as a pet! They are primarily wild sea animals who are caught for eating.

Did you know...

A popular recipe that many people make with langoustines or scampi is the garlic butter grilled langoustine dish where the shellfish tastes very delicate and wonderful! This is only one of many scrumptious ways to eat a langoustine.

Langoustines are very popular in the markets of France and Spain where they are known as cigalas.

Why do people eat Langoustine?

Like many other luxury food items, langoustines are expensive simply because they are quite rarely caught for consumption purposes. It is very difficult to source scampi which has been caught from water due to the decline in their population which is getting smaller by the day.

In New York 1 lb. (0.45 kg) of large, whole Norway lobsters cost  $37.80.

The meat of Norway lobsters is known as scampi and is quite sweet and delicate in taste. The delicate scampi of the lobster can be quite healthy as it can be a part of a low-fat protein diet and provide iron and calcium to the whole human body.

Langoustines vs. prawns

Another name of the langoustines is Dublin Bay prawns but that does not mean it is related to prawn. It is a common misconception that langoustines are prawns but they actually belong to the lobster family. The meat of langoustines is referred to as scampi while prawns belong to the shrimp family.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods including oysters, or mussels.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our langoustine coloring pages.