# Do lobsters have gills? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 20, 2000, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-lobsters-have-gills/7696 "2000-02-20T17:24:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2000, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-lobsters-have-gills/7696/1 "2000-02-20T17:24:00Z")
I know lobsters must breate water, they live under water. BUT I have purchased lobsters, and they were alive till we cooked them, sometimes hours later. How can they breath out of water? And as I am very familiar with the inside of the tasty beast, I know they dont have anything I would call a lung. So…how long could a lobster live out of water? How do they breathe out of the water? **I have wondered about this since I saw Dixie’s pet lobster on Donkey Kong, it is NOT related to the silly UL about the lobster sex** ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2000, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-lobsters-have-gills/7696/2 "2000-02-20T17:48:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by kellibelli: > \*\*I know lobsters must breate water, they live under water. BUT I have purchased lobsters, and they were alive till we cooked them, sometimes hours later. How can they breath out of water? > > And as I am very familiar with the inside of the tasty beast, I know they dont have anything I would call a lung. > > So…how long could a lobster live out of water? How do they breathe out of the water? > > **I have wondered about this since I saw Dixie’s pet lobster on Donkey Kong, it is NOT related to the silly UL about the lobster sex** \*\* Lobsters do indeed have gills! They are along the bottom of the tail up near the thorax. In between the red flaps(red on a live one), there are tubules that extract oxygen from the water. The flaps are for circulation of water over the gills. * * * **FixedBack** “When learned men begin to use their reason, then I generally discover that they haven’t got any.”~~\*G.K.Chesterton 1908 \* ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2000, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-lobsters-have-gills/7696/3 "2000-02-20T17:50:00Z")
Kelli, [This page](http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~simmons/lb7pg6.htm) has, at the bottom, a diagram of the circulatory system of a lobster. [Here](http://www.frdc.com.au/pub/reports/id/94-134-03.html) is an abstract from an Australian study described as: > [@](#): > > A physiological investigation into methods for increasing the post-capture survival of both the southern rock lobster, _Jasus edwardsii_, and the western rock lobster, _Panulirus cygnus_ And [here](http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/67/06759000.htm) is an msn encarta entry on our yummy friends. I think I saw an article a few months ago (no cite available) to the effect that, in the New York area, some plague is wiping out the local lobster population. Anyone know about that? ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2000, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-lobsters-have-gills/7696/4 "2000-02-23T17:51:00Z")
Crabs are the same way. That is, they use some kind of energy storage system that allows them to use energy (much like we can use stored glycogen for our muscles) without being able to take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide. I forget exactly how it works (hey, my class in invertebrate biology was almost 10 years ago) but essentially, when you have the crab or lobster running around outside the water, they are essentially ‘holding their breathe’. As far as how long they can do it before they asphysiate, I’d guess 48 hours tops. Maybe 72 hours if they’re kept in a refrigerated environment that slows down their metabolism. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2000, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-lobsters-have-gills/7696/5 "2000-02-24T00:27:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by beatle: > **I think I saw an article a few months ago (no cite available) to the effect that, in the New York area, some plague is wiping out the local lobster population. Anyone know about that?** Are you referring to this? [http://www.sightings.com/earthchanges/lobster\_e.htm](http://www.sightings.com/earthchanges/lobster_e.htm)