Changes

The best-known lobster is ''Homarus americanus'', but there are about fifty species. Some of them have interesting and unusual names, such as the hunchback locust lobster, the velvet fan lobster, the regal slipper lobster, the marbled mitten lobster, the musical furry lobster, the unicorn lobster, the buffalo blunt-horn lobster, the African spear lobster, the Arabian whip lobster and the rough Spanish lobster.  

The best-known lobster is ''Homarus americanus'', but there are about fifty species. Some of them have interesting and unusual names, such as the hunchback locust lobster, the velvet fan lobster, the regal slipper lobster, the marbled mitten lobster, the musical furry lobster, the unicorn lobster, the buffalo blunt-horn lobster, the African spear lobster, the Arabian whip lobster and the rough Spanish lobster.  

[[American]] lobsters are greenish-brown, and [[European]] lobsters blackish-blue, but whatever their shell colour, all lobsters turn red when boiled because protein molecules in the shell bend during cooking into shapes that absorb different wavelengths of light and end up reflecting red. Proteins from the shell of the European ''Homarus gammarus'' can be grown into brilliant blue crystals, and sometimes a [[genetic mutation]] or a lack of [[calcium]] in the diet can make American lobsters grow blue. There are genetic mutations of yellow, white, calico and even red in living lobsters, and (rarely) half and half, with a straight line down the middle of the back dividing the colours.

[[American]] lobsters are greenish-brown, and [[European]] lobsters blackish-blue, but whatever their shell color, all lobsters turn red when boiled because protein molecules in the shell bend during cooking into shapes that absorb different wavelengths of light and end up reflecting red. Proteins from the shell of the European ''Homarus gammarus'' can be grown into brilliant blue crystals, and sometimes a [[genetic mutation]] or a lack of [[calcium]] in the diet can make American lobsters grow blue. There are genetic mutations of yellow, white, calico and even red in living lobsters, and (rarely) half and half, with a straight line down the middle of the back dividing the colors.

==Lobsters in history==

==Lobsters in history==

==Ethical issues over cooking lobsters==

==Ethical issues over cooking lobsters==

Lobster meat is a healthy food, if it is served without melted butter. It is nearly fat free, and has fewer calories and less cholesterol than animal or poultry meat. It contains vitamins A, B12, and E, calcium, zinc and phosphorous, and is high in desirable omega-3 fatty acids, although it is relatively high in sodium. The lobster’s combined liver and pancreas, called the tomalley and easily recognized from its greenish colour, is not usually eaten, because it filters toxins so that lobster meat is not affected by other kind of shellfish blight and does not transmit diseases.  

Lobster meat is a healthy food, if it is served without melted butter. It is nearly fat free, and has fewer calories and less cholesterol than animal or poultry meat. It contains vitamins A, B12, and E, calcium, zinc and phosphorous, and is high in desirable omega-3 fatty acids, although it is relatively high in sodium. The lobster’s combined liver and pancreas, called the tomalley and easily recognized from its greenish color, is not usually eaten, because it filters toxins so that lobster meat is not affected by other kind of shellfish blight and does not transmit diseases.  

Dead lobster meat generates toxins quickly, and it is not safe to eat, but Animal welfare groups have long campaigned against the boiling of live lobsters. Although lobster nervous systems have been well studied, there is no clear answer to the question of whether lobsters feel pain. Lobsters have stress receptors but no identifiable pain receptors. They do not act pained at the loss of a limb or when wounds are inflicted. When a lobster is dropped into a steaming pot, its movements are no different to escape responses in any threatening situation. The nervous system does not seem to be more sophisticated than that of an insect.

Dead lobster meat generates toxins quickly, and it is not safe to eat, but Animal welfare groups have long campaigned against the boiling of live lobsters. Although lobster nervous systems have been well studied, there is no clear answer to the question of whether lobsters feel pain. Lobsters have stress receptors but no identifiable pain receptors. They do not act pained at the loss of a limb or when wounds are inflicted. When a lobster is dropped into a steaming pot, its movements are no different to escape responses in any threatening situation. The nervous system does not seem to be more sophisticated than that of an insect.