Here's a Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) hiding in the protective recess while waiting for the sun to go down before venturing out to forage. These Caribbean lobsters are closely related to the California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) common to the coastal waters off California and Baja California. They are highly prized by fishermen and divers so they rarely live more than 5 to 7 years. Lobsters are thought to live up to 50 years although there is no hard evidence that this is so.
Caribbean spiny lobsters are also under fishing pressure and are scarce in some areas. This lobster was photographed along a shallow coral reef/rocky shore. Mass migrations after winter storms have been observed where up to 50 individuals move single-file across open terrain. A common French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) swims by above the lobster.