'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.

"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 Maine 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.