That’s right: Lobsters are seemingly unaffected by old age. They won’t slow down. They don’t grow weak. They never turn infertile – in fact, they become more fertile over time.

“Lobsters, when they die, seem to die from external causes,” reports NPR. “They get fished by humans, eaten by seals, wasted by parasites, but they don't seem to die from within.”

So, if a lobster was careful and well fed, it could live forever. Or, that’s what scientists think anyway. They really have no idea. Right now, the only way to determine a lobster’s age is to weigh it. (The biggest we’ve found is 44 pounds.) But, who knows, there could be a 440-pound crustacean hiding at the bottom of the ocean.

Lobster expert Jell Atema is testing out this idea. In his lab at Boston University, he’s grown a 15-pound lobster. Professor Atema plans to just let it grow for decades and decades.

A rare blue lobster from Rockport, Mass. (Credit: Awing0 via Wikipedia)