In the presence of a thermocline or thermal gradient, settlement will also be delayed and even settled postlarvae will respond to a reduction in temperature by leaving the bottom. Remaining above the thermocline could reduce considerably the energy costs associated with the settlement process. They retain the capacity for suspension feeding and rapid, highly effective tail-flipping. Further growth and differentiation of the claws. The adolescent phase is marked by physiological but not functional maturity.
Social interactions begin to dominate seasonal movements and lobster population distribution.
Onset of clear, size-related sexual differentiation. Males may become physiologically mature at a smaller size than females. The adult phase is characterized by the onset of functional maturity. In shallow water, lobsters generally emerge from their shelters about 1 hour after sunset and show greatest activity in the following two hours, after which they gradually return to their own shelter or a nearby alternate shelter. In the 2 months preceding the vulnerable molt period, lobsters gradually increase the number of shelters regularly occupied to 1.9 during the last 2-week period preceding molting Increased shelter use corresponds with increased premolt activity Lobsters engage in extensive housekeeping, cleaning debris and silt out, pushing sand and rock and modifying the entrances.