This is a 7 to 8 year old, hermaphroditic two-color lobster! It's amazing.~
The Seacoast Science Center in New Hampshire recently acquired an extremely rare blue-orange two-color lobster that is believed to be caught at only one in 50 million. A few weeks ago, it was placed on display in a new special water tank, much to the amazement of many visitors.
The strange color of this crustacean may be due to a genetic mutation in the early stages of its development, when cells divide causing their bodies to form different colors on the left and right sides. One side is blue and the other is orange, and it is symmetrically separated along its body length in a near-perfect line.
The Coastal Science Center posted the photo on Facebook and is well worth a look.
Even stranger, this lobster is neither a full male nor a full female. Its mutation is called gynandromorphism, a phenomenon that causes one side (the blue side) to be male and the other side (orange side) to be female, and to have hermaphroditic genitalia.
Rob Royer, the center's senior aquarium director, told reporters that they obtained the lobster from the Maine State Aquarium in April 2020 under special circumstances during the pandemic.
"They're actually facing closure because of the pandemic," Royer said, "and they're looking for ways to house a lot of the animals there." They either released it or gave it to other aquariums, so I was able to get a couple of 'stars', including this lobster. ”
Judging by the size of the lobster, Royer estimated its age to be about 7 to 8 years old.
"At the moment, we still have a blue lobster, but in fact it is not uncommon," he said, "and the probability of a blue lobster appearing is one in two million; but the probability of this lobster divided into two colors along the middle is only one in fifty million." ”
It is well known that the shells of live crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps are usually cyan or reddish-brown, but many different factors or genetic mutations may make lobsters appear yellow, red or blue.
According to a Facebook post by the Coastal Science Center, in addition to blue and two-color lobsters, the red lobster catch rate is 1 in 10 million; yellow lobster is 1 in 30 million; and the probability of white or albino lobsters appearing is even lower, only one in 100 million.
Currently, this two-color lobster is adapting well to the new environment. "It's in good health and has always had good things to eat." Royer said staff have been feeding it chopped squid, shrimp and clams.
Currently, this beautiful lobster is on display at the Coastal Science Center for visitors to enjoy.
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In addition, in June 2012, Bobby Stoddard, a 51-year-old Canadian fisherman, also caught a blue lobster in the Atlantic Ocean. Getting this lobster with a 2 in 2 million probability surprised Stoddard. "I've been fishing lobsters for 33 years, and under normal circumstances I can catch about 3,000 a day, and this is the first time I've caught a blue lobster," he said. ”
In June of the same year, British fishermen accidentally caught a fossil oyster with a history of 100 million years in the Solent Strait. Its maximum width is 18 cm, its thickness is 8 cm, and its volume is 10 times that of ordinary oysters. Allegedly, there may be giant pearls hidden inside.
The oyster has been sent to the UK for testing, and it is said that if it does contain pearls, it may be as large as a golf ball.
Cases of genetic mutations in animals do not only occur in marine life. In December 2011, a tiger-striped cat named Daniel appeared in the United States, which is unique in that it has 26 toes, which is 8 more than the 18 toes of the average cat. But the extra toes do not affect its movement in the slightest. It was picked up and immediately became a local star.
Daniel is now an ambassador for an animal rescue center. Due to the need for relocation, the head of the conservation center, Rush Zhongshengzhi, used it as a call to launch a small fundraising of $26 for $1 on one toe, which was used as a result of raising $5,000.