‘Friends’ got it wrong — turns out lobsters don’t mate for life
The show “Friends” got a lot right at the time—from the trials and tribulations of making adult friends to dating in New York City to growing up in your 20s. But, there’s one thing the show got very wrong and it has to do with a famous quote about lobsters.
You know the one! You’ve heard it in countless maid of honor speeches and read it on cheeky anniversary cards. But for reference, the iconic lobster quote is said by Phoebe (in Season 2’s “The One With the Prom Video”), when Ross is down because the love of his life, Rachel, seemingly met another guy.
16 PHOTOSThe cast of 'Friends'See GalleryThe cast of 'Friends'
FRIENDS — Season 6 — Pictured: (l-r) David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani — (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS — Season 10 — Pictured: Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Dr. Ross Geller (Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS – ‘The One With The Engagement Picture’ — Episode 5 — Aired 11/2/2000 — Pictured (l-r): Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing — NBCU Photo Bank
FRIENDS — Season 6 — Pictured: (l-r) David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani — (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS — ‘The One with the Fake Monica’ Episode 21 — Pictured: (l-r) Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller(Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS — Pictured: (l-r) Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani(Photo by Andrew Eccles/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS — ‘The One After ‘I Do’ — Episode 1 — Aired 09/27/2001 — Pictured: (l-r) Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller-Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green– Photo by: Danny Feld/NBCU Photo Bank
FRIENDS — ‘The One With The Christmas In Tulsa’ — Episode 10 — Aired 12/12/2002 — Pictured: (l-r) Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Courteney Cox-Arquette as Monica Geller Bing, Lisa Kudrow Phoebe Buffay, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
FRIENDS — ‘The One Where the Stripper Cries’ — Episode 11 — Aired 2/5/2004 — Pictured: (l-r) Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, Matthew Perry as Chandler — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
FRIENDS — ‘The One With The Boob Job’ — Epsiode 16 — Aired 2/20/2003 — Pictured: (l-r) Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox-Arquette as Monica Geller Bing, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing — Warner Bros. Photo 
FRIENDS — ‘The One With Monica And Chandler’s Wedding’ — Episode 24 — Aired 5/17/2001 — Pictured:(l-r) Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller-Bing, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green — Photo by: Danny Feld/NBCU Photo Bank
FRIENDS — ‘The One With The Embryos’ — Episode 12 — Aired 1/15/1998 — Pictured: (l-r) Matt Le Blanc as Joey Tribbiani, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller(Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS — Season 2 — Pictured: (l-r) Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay(Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS — ‘The One with the Embryos’ Episode 12 — Pictured: (l-r) Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing(Photo by J. Delvalle/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS — ‘The One That Could Have Been: Part 1, 2’ Episode 15, 16 — Pictured: (l-r) Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green(Photo by Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
FRIENDS — ‘The One with the Embryos’ Episode 12 — Pictured: (l-r) Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Debra Jo Rupp as Alice Knight Buffay, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Giovanni Ribisi as Frank Buffay Jr., Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay(Photo by J. Delvalle/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)Up Next
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“Hang in there, it’s gonna happen,” Phoebe tells Ross, before explaining that she knows this because Rachel is his lobster.
“C’mon you guys. It’s a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life. You know what, you can actually see old lobster couples walkin’ around their tank, ya know, holding claws like…” she says.
However, it turns out that the whole lobsters mate for life thing is scientifically false.
According to Curt Brown, Ready Seafood’s In-House Marine Biologist on behalf of the Main Lobster Marketing Collaborative, lobsters actually have multiple partners throughout their time in the ocean.
“Lobsters, by nature, are not monogamous and do not pair for life,” he explained in a statement. “A dominant male will actually mate with multiple females during encounters that last days to weeks. A literal example of ‘love on the rocks!’”
Although Ross and Rachel do end up together and live happily ever after (or so we hope), we can’t really consider them each other’s lobsters. Think of them more as seahorses or swans, two animals that do mate for life.
13 PHOTOSAnimals that vastly out-live humansSee GalleryAnimals that vastly out-live humans
Tuatara: Up to 100 years
(Photo via Getty Images)
Orange Roughy: Up to 100 years
(Photo by Karen Gowlett-Holmes via Getty Images)
Blue Whale: 110 years
(Photo via Getty Images)
Lake Sturgeon: Females up to 150 years
(Photo via Getty Images)
Aldabara Tortoise: 152 years in captivity
(Photo credit ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)
Geoduck: 165 years
(Photo by Gary Sergraves via Getty Images)
Giant Galapagos Tortoise: 175 years
(Photo via Getty Images)
Red Sea Urchin: May reach 200 years
(Photo via Getty Images)
Rougheye Rockfish: 205 years
(Photo via Wikipedia/Public Domain)
Bowhead Whale: Over 200 years
(Photo via Wikipedia/Public Domain)
Lamellibrachia Tubeworms: Up to 250 years
(Photo via Wikipedia)
Greenland Shark: 400 years
(Photo by Franco Banfi via Getty Images)
Ocean Quahog: 507 years
(Photo by Andrew J Martinez via Getty Images)
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