Eastern Rock Lobster in silty sponge garden

An Eastern Rock Lobster (Sagmariasus verreauxi) foraging on a deep reef within the Huon Marine Park. Note the white coloration on the lobster, a typical feature of lobsters on deep shelf reefs in Tasmanian coastal waters. It is only when lobsters forage in shallower water that they attain their typical red colouration, a result of the higher abundance of carotinoid pigments in the marco- and encrusting algal assemblages which upon consumption will accumulate in the lobster's exoskeleton. Lobsters are regularly seen in AUV imagery from the Huon Marine Park.