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Buying a lobster off a livestream
The seller goes by e-fish-co and runs a seafood store on the dock. As the boats come in, he goes out and streams every crate of seafood, then auctions the catch live on Whatnot and ships it to the buyer's door the next day. Fresh and specialty foods has become one of the categories taking off on the platform.
Tom Verrilli, Whatnot's chief product officer, bought a California spiny tail lobster from that stream. It arrived the next day by UPS overnight, packed in a container with ice. He had no intention of buying a lobster that morning, and he calls it the most fun thing he bought recently. It was delicious.
How does live lobster survive overnight shipping?
Cold slows a lobster's metabolism, so it needs less oxygen and moves less. Shippers pack it in an insulated container with gel packs and damp material, which keeps the gills moist. A lobster kept cold and damp can survive out of water for a day or longer. Overnight carriers deliver the box before the lobster's oxygen demand rises.
Why does a California spiny lobster lack claws?
The California spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus, belongs to a family of spiny lobsters that evolved without the large pincers of a Maine lobster. Its defense is a pair of thick, spiny antennae, which it can also rub against its shell to make a rasping sound. This works as a warning to predators. Spiny lobsters are caught along the coast of Southern California and Baja California.
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