A seafood company in Cape Cod, in the northeastern United States, has donated a rare two-coloured lobster to a science centre, saving it from being served as food due to its unusual appearance.
The lobster features a striking split coloration, with brown tones on one side of its body and bright orange on the other. The distinct two-tone pattern runs from its head all the way to its tail, drawing significant public attention in recent days.
The lobster was handed over to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Aquarium in Falmouth, Massachusetts, where it will be displayed to the public once the facility reopens after renovation works.
According to the Wellfleet Shellfish Company in Eastham, the creature is currently being kept in a holding tank at the Marine Biological Laboratory while the aquarium undergoes reconstruction.
Once reopened, the lobster will be exhibited as part of the aquarium’s collection, allowing visitors to view what experts describe as one of the ocean’s most remarkable natural anomalies.
The lobster was caught off the waters of Cape Cod on 16 April by a local fisherman. Such rare colour variations are occasionally found in New England waters during spring and summer, although two-coloured specimens are considered extremely uncommon.
American lobsters are typically brown and mottled, but genetic mutations affecting pigment-binding proteins can result in unusual colour variations, including blue, orange, calico patterns, and even highly vivid “cotton candy” shades.
