The Spanish slipper lobster reaches about 12 inches in length when fully grown. The varied colors of its shell help it blend into its surroundings.

The Spanish slipper lobster inhabits the tropical waters of the northwestern Atlantic ocean, from the southern coast of South Carolina and Florida in the United States down to the state of São Paulo in Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the many islands of the Caribbean sea and Bermuda.

The Spanish slipper lobster is generally found from the surface down to about 200 feet deep, but can sometimes occur as deep as 590 feet.

It lives on sandy or rocky sea floors, often around reefs. During the day, it buries itself in the sand or hides under ledges, in crevices, or in rock cavities to stay protected and out of sight.

The Spanish slipper lobster moves slowly and is mainly active at night, when it leaves its hiding place to hunt. It feeds primarily on benthic invertebrates such as bivalves and gastropods, as well as on organic remains and debris.

According to a 2019 study, the Spanish slipper lobster produces sounds while swimming near the surface, a behavior well known and documented in spiny lobsters, but rarely observed in slipper lobsters.

The spanish slipper lobster is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The spanish slipper lobster appears in the IUCN Red List since 2011 within the category Least Concern !