How do lobsters breathe?

Like other crustaceans, lobsters have a pair of gills on each of their body segments, for a total of ten pairs. The gills are located on the sides of the body and are covered by a thin flap of skin. Each gill is made up of a series of filaments that are covered in tiny hairs. These hairs help to increase the surface area of the gills, which allows the lobster to extract more oxygen from the water.

Lobsters breathe by drawing water into their mouths and then passing it over their gills. The water flows through the gills, and the oxygen in the water is absorbed by the filaments. The deoxygenated water is then expelled through a small opening on the side of the lobster's body.

Lobsters can only breathe in water, so if they are out of the water for too long, they will suffocate. This is why it is important to keep lobsters moist when transporting or cooking them.