In their natural habitats, most lobsters are a little murkier looking. Most lobsters are more of a greenish-brown hue before they’re drudged up from the sea floor. There are dozens of lobster species, so the coloration varies a little bit from group to group. Still, lobsters are a unique species in that some individuals are born with different colors than the rest of the group. In extremely, extremely rare instances, lobsters can be yellow, cotton candy-colored, and even sapphire blue.
How Rare are Blue Lobsters?
The odds of catching the lobster in the video found at the bottom of this article are estimated to be about 1 in 2 million. Blue lobsters are particularly rare, and they’re especially beautiful when compared with a standard lobster. The man in this video is a seasoned lobster fisherman in Maine, which is where a great deal of North American lobster fishing takes place. Each year, millions of pounds of lobster are caught and processed. Fishermen have to look at each lobster individually to see if they fit the size and age requirements that determine they can be kept. Even as an experienced fisherman, the man in this video says it’s only the second blue lobster he’s ever seen in his ten years on the water.
Why Does He Do The Unthinkable?
After taking a good hard look at the rare blue lobster, the man throws it back into the ocean to live another day. He examines it closely and even says that he can tell it’s been caught by a few fishermen in the past. One would think that a lobster that rare would be kept as a keepsake or trophy, but the man had the heart to send it back. He says that he hopes the lobster can reproduce and maybe make a few more blue lobsters for people to enjoy. It’s an admirable thing to do, but it would definitely be tough to let that one go back into the water.
Other Incredibly Rare Lobsters
Blue lobsters are about 1 in 2 million, but there are lobsters that are even rarer. Cotton candy and white lobsters are the rarest in the world. The odds of catching either of these lobsters are estimated to be around 1 in 100 million. Another extremely rare lobster is the split-colored lobster. This coloration shows up in one of every 50 million individuals. The next rarest are the yellow, orange, and calico lobsters which are 1 in 30 million. These variations in color are genetic mutations that impact the organic compounds in the shell. Interestingly, all lobsters turn red when they’re cooked. The pigment cells all break down when heated, turning lobsters the bright red color that we associate them with. The odds of a lobster being red in the wild are actually lower than the odds of a lobster being blue, at about 1 in 10 million. Up Next:
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