This rare genetic oddity one won't be seeing a lobster pot instead he's going to live out his days in the comfort and safety of an aquarium.
The odds of ever seeing a blue lobster is a 1 in 3 million chance.
Found in New London, CT. by Steve Hatch and his uncle Robert Green Sunday morning in one of their lobster traps at the mouth of the Thames River. This bright blue lobster weighed in at 1 1/2 pounds and has a very rare genetic mutation among the species.
Another blue lobster on display at the Rhode Island Environmental Center
I've heard about them but this is the first one I've ever seen, Hatch told The Day of New London newspaper.
So instead of cooking the rare lobster, which would have turned red just as ordinary ones do while being cooked, Steve put it into a cooler and took it to the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration where it will be in an elementary school class to help children to learn about this species. He won't be alone though as they already have two other blue lobsters at the aquarium already.
On display at the Rhode Island Environmental Center
Researchers at the University of Connecticut found that the blue coloring occurs when lobsters produce an excessive amount of protein because of a genetic mutation.
Other unusual and rare lobsters include some of the following:
As reported by Brandigal the two toned lobster check out her post
here
Rare yellow lobster.
Albino lobster missing one claw.
Although rare, lobsters can come in many colors. Even more rare are lobsters like this one at Sorrento Lobster Inc., which is not only multi-colored, but has both male and female sex organs.
This one has been called a lobster but I am finding that it is not truly one at all, that it is instead a species discovered in 2005 called
Kiwa hirsuta that is closely related to squat lobsters and hermit crabs.
Fuzzy White Lobster
It's rare to find a completely new species, but science has done it. A new, albino, "fuzzy" lobster has been found near the heated ocean vents at the bottom of the ocean in 2005.
Something new turns up just about every day so keep a look out you just might be the next person to find that new or rare species.
More information and sources:
http://archive.dailypicture.net/rare_blue_lobster_display_audubon_society_bristol_rhode.htm
http://www.winterhbrcoop.com/Rare%20Lobster%20Collection.html
http://lobsterpot.com/lobsters.htm
http://travel.mainetoday.com/news/050404blue.shtml
http://weirdauctions.com/page/8/
