Calico Lobster: Boston's New England Aquarium Displays Rare Crustacean (PHOTO)

BOSTON (AP) — So you think blue lobsters are rare? The New England Aquarium is holding a lobster that's way rarer than that.

The aquarium in Boston says it has a calico lobster that could be a 1-in-30 million find.

The lobster is dark with bright orange and yellow spots. It was caught off Winter Harbor, Maine, and is being held at the New England Aquarium for the Biomes Marine Biology Center, a science center in Rhode Island.

Aquarium spokesman Tony Lacasse says calico lobsters are quite rare.

The Maine-based Lobster Conservancy says perhaps one lobster in 1 million is blue, while both the orange and calico versions might be as rare as 1 in 30 million.

From our partners

• How Two Determined Sisters Set Up A Pet Rescue Pipeline To Colorado - Mother Nature Network
• Panel Finds Flaws In Hurricane Sandy Warning System - Climate Central
• 11 Images And Facts About A Misunderstood Creature - Mother Nature Network

Comments

[AngD]

03:10 PM on 05/14/2012

Consider the lobster's beauty.

[zingdaddy]

01:45 PM on 05/14/2012

Calico or not, it was a very hungry person indeed who first ate a lobster. Hard to believe these days that lobster used to be what the poor folks and prisoners ate.

[mskittykat1326]

03:33 PM on 05/14/2012

Makes one wonder who was the nark that spoiled it for the poor/inmates.

[zingdaddy]

03:48 PM on 05/14/2012

probably some disgruntled chef ;^)

[onionboy]

01:17 PM on 05/14/2012

This pattern doubles it's cuteness score.

Bringing it to a grand total of 0.08 on a scale of zero to 10.

[clearthinker16]

10:42 PM on 05/13/2012

wow, saw a blue one once years ago, nut this one is neat

[peegan]

09:11 PM on 05/13/2012

But what color is it after it hits the boiling water? (I'm kidding. I'm kidding)

[Francois G]

08:51 AM on 05/14/2012

Forget about the color, the taste matters most !

[StephenJK]

07:07 AM on 05/13/2012

Paint thinner hoax, folks.

[butchcliff]

06:24 AM on 05/13/2012

Prettiest lobster ever seen. 1 in a 30 mil certainly is rare

[PrimoPablo]

04:52 AM on 05/13/2012

Back home, we call that a mutant.....and given those waters, it's anyone's guess as to what caused it.

[schatsie]

07:33 AM on 05/14/2012

Bingo... or could it be an import from someplace else?

[karmabug]

03:07 PM on 05/15/2012

Right, because these color genes never show up in any other species. And it would also explain why they haven't found any others.

[DMSmith]

02:28 AM on 05/13/2012

Is Obama not the only one evolving?

[surlyatbest]

08:57 PM on 05/12/2012

It tastes like a cross between California Condor and Spotted Owl.

[MaryinNM]

07:53 PM on 05/12/2012

That's one good looking bug! Yea, I'd eat that.

[suemj]

06:22 PM on 05/12/2012

It's beautiful!

[Trapper50cal]

04:29 PM on 05/12/2012

I bet it would go extremely well with the not-so-rare ramekin of clarified butter.

[P51MUSTANG]

04:13 PM on 05/12/2012

Dinner for some 1%er...

[schatsie]

07:34 AM on 05/14/2012

1% of the !% of the 1%.... and a fine bottle of champagne to go with it....

[Donatella]

11:32 AM on 05/12/2012

A lobster with a bad complexion.

[Francois G]

08:52 AM on 05/14/2012

Another bad tanning experience ?