Hale do lobsters mate?

Answer 1

A female lobster mates primarily when she is in the soft-shell state, right after she has shed her shell (molted).

Eggs
A freshly laid lobster egg is the size of the head of a pin (1/16"). A 1-pound female lobster usually carries approximately 8,000 eggs. A 9-pound female may carry more than 100,000 eggs. The female lobster carries the eggs inside for 9 to 12 months and then for another 9 to 12 months externally attached to the swimmerets under her tail by a glue-like substance. When the eggs hatch the mother releases them by fanning her swimmerets.

Larval Stage
Now in the first larval state, the newborn lobsters will float near the surface for 4 to 6 weeks. They are very susceptible to prey during this stage and will go through three molts or stages.

Post-Larval Stage
After the fourth molt the few that survive will settle to the bottom; look for hiding places in rocks, grassy areas, etc. and continue to develop as post-larval lobsters. From every 50,000 eggs only about 2 lobsters are expected to survive to legal size.

Juvenile Lobsters
As the lobsters grow, the become more adventuresome and hide less. Their habits are similar to adult lobsters. It takes 5 to 7 years for a lobster to grow to the legal size to harvest. A lobster at minimum legal size will weight approximately 1 pound. (Based on Maine's legal minimum of 3 1/4" carapace size. Legal sizes can vary by state/country.) Juvenile lobsters can molt as many as 25 times before reaching adulthood.

Adult Lobsters
Lobsters reach adulthood after 5-8 years. As adults, males typically will shed or molt once a year, and females once every two years.

Answer 2

Carefully.

Answer 3

not sure but Ive heard they mate for life