Home >> Science & Nature >> Animals & Science

What is a Blue Lobster?

The blue lobster is not actually a type of lobster, but a rare variation on the species American lobster (Homarus Americanus). While there are many different types of lobsters in the world, the most often eaten is the American lobster. This clawed crustacean has a distinct reddish color once cooked, but live it is typically olive green or bluish brown. Occasionally, Homarus americanus has been found in the wild with a very distinct, bright, electric blue color, referred to as a "blue lobster." Differences in proteins affecting shell pigmentation are responsible for this coloration, as well as a white version; both of which are extremely rare.

Characteristics
- The American (or Maine) lobster is a cold water species found as far north as Canada and as far south as North Carolina. Other than color, blue lobsters have the same traits as typical American lobsters. According to National Geographic, they are ten-legged crustaceans closely related to crabs and shrimp. Lobsters are bottom-dwelling creatures with poor eyesight, relying on taste and smell. The New England Aquarium states they can grow up to 3 feet long, be as heavy as 40 lbs. and can live as long as 60 years. Their diet consists mainly of mollusks and fish, but will also feed on plant life, including other lobsters.
Color
- After cooking, all lobsters turn bright red, even the blue ones.
  
  Typical American lobsters are a blend of blue, green and brown. According to Rhode Island Sea Grant, there are many factors affecting their color. The amount of light exposure the lobster receives, its diet and heredity can all have an effect on its pigment. According to Sea Grant, astaxanthin is the major pigment determining color in the lobster's shell. This pigment is red in its natural form, however proteins in the lobster's shell chemically bind with the astaxanthin, causing the colors normally seen in the live lobster. A genetic defect in the proteins a lobster produces can change the color of the lobster, causing lobsters to occasionally appear orange, white or even bright blue. When the lobster is cooked, the bonds between the protein and the pigment are broken, so, regardless of the color of the live lobster, it will always turn bright red before it reaches your plate.
Frequency
- Blue lobsters in the wild are extremely rare. As quoted in the Washington Post, Catherine Ellis, of Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium, observes the rare blue American lobster "occurs naturally about once in every 3 million lobsters." However, others estimate it to be closer to one in 4 to 5 million.
Sightings
- As rare as the blue lobster is, there have been many documented occurrences, and there are several specimens in captivity available for the public to view. In 2009, a blue lobster was caught by a fisherman near Prince Edward Island. In the same year, a New Hampshire fisherman caught a blue lobster off the cost of Portsmouth, with his son. In 2007, a Connecticut man was lucky enough to land the rare prize, and his lobster, along with one other, is on display in the Mystic Aquarium.

Animals & Science