Species of the Derwent

A variety of unique communities of plants and animals live in the Derwent Estuary, specially adapted for life between land and sea. Little penguins, sea dragons, black swans, platypus and dolphins are just some of the many species that call the estuary home. Explore and learn about these organisms, their role in food webs, and the threats they face.

In this section

Southern rock lobster

Community type

Benthic reefs organisms

Habitat type

Rocky reefs, kelp beds and inter-tidal zone

Deep red to orange in colour, with two large antennae and 10 legs, the southern rock lobster can reach a body length of more than 50 cm. It usually inhabits shallow rocky reefs, but can reach depths of 200m, living in protected cracks and nooks. Southern rock lobster are important predators in rocky reef food webs as they eat urchins, crabs, marine snails and other small slow moving creatures. Large lobsters are the main predator of the invasive long spined sea urchin, which is causing enormous damage to Tasmanian seaweeds and the creatures that live among them.

Much of the text within the species area of our website was written by Veronica Thorpe, as part of the Derwent River Wildlife Guide (2000).

The DEP has developed a variety of classroom and outdoor activities, including classroom materials, online resources, interpretive walks, games and sensory experience. These are focused around the key estuary habitats.

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