Lobsters are arthropods.
Lobsters, millipedes and mosquitoes are all arthropods. Arthropods include insects, spiders and other arachnids, crustaceans such as the lobster, millipedes, centipedes and other animals with exoskeletons. The more than 870,000 different species of arthropods have a number of characteristics that set them apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, according to the Science Clarified website.
Exoskeleton
The exoskeleton, which is made of a carbohydrate called chitin and covered with a hard cuticle, serves a number of purposes. It protects the arthropod's fragile inner body. Muscles are attached to the exoskeleton, which serves as their anchor. The exoskeleton also protects land arthropods from dehydration by keeping water inside the body. Arthropods shed their exoskeleton when they grow and produce a larger one to fit their new size and needs.
Mandibulates
Mandibulates, such as insects, are arthropods that have a set of jaws. Mandibulates have antenna, three segmented body parts and six legs. The ant is an ideal example of a mandibulate in which these characteristics are obvious.
Chelicerates
Chelicerates, like spiders and the horseshoe crab, have a pair of claw-like fangs that serve as their first set of appendages. These fangs let them trap and consume food. Chelicerates only have two segmented body parts. The first section includes their head and thorax, which are connected together, while their second section is their abdomen. Unlike mandibulates, chelicerates lack antenna and usually have eight legs instead of six.
Legs, eggs and cocoons
Other characteristics help set arthropods apart from other animals. Their legs, regardless of the number, are bendable with highly mobile joints. Arthropods lay eggs to reproduce. Some hatch as larvae while others do not hatch until they are adults. Caterpillars and some other arthropods create cocoons, which they shed after metamorphosis.
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