An extremely rare, color-divided lobster was given a new home on Christmas Eve after it was discovered inside a fish tank at a Maine grocery store.
The unusual-looking sea creature named Arnold Cromer is half red and half mottled brown. This is a trait that occurs in only 1 in 50 million lobsters.
Arnold arrived Shaw Institute Environmental Education Center He was spotted by a “very sympathetic” shopper inside a Shop 'n Save grocery store in Milbridge, Maine, while on vacation.
When the shopper handed Arnold over to researchers, they first acclimated him to life in a touch tank at the Marine Aquarium in Bar Harbor, then took him to Shaw Research Institute in Blue Hill, Maine.
According to university of maineA touch aquarium is an aquarium exhibit where you can learn about the ecosystem and marine life while gently touching non-dangerous creatures.
The Shaw Institute claimed that a lobster split, called a chimera, occurs when two fertilized eggs fuse together to form one lobster during an early stage of development, resulting in Arnold's surprising appearance.
“Not only do the genetics need to be right, but the physical conditions inside the mother also need to be right,” the Shaw Institute said.
Arnold has another feature that makes him an even more unusual sea dweller.
According to the Shaw Institute, unlike most lobsters, which use their right side to peel or cut meat when eating food such as fish, this marine creature uses a crusher claw on its left side to grab its prey.
“Lobster are opportunistic carnivores, meaning they will forage for food, but will also scavenge if possible,” says the Shaw Institute. “They hunt things that are slower or smaller than themselves, such as clams, mussels, crabs, sea urchins, and starfish. Sometimes other lobsters are included as well!”
Arnold isn't the only rare lobster recently discovered in Maine.
In November 2023, a rare bisexual lobster named Bowie was born. discovered by lobstermanaccording to NPR.
The half-blue, half-red creature also appeared at a rate of 1 in 50 million.
Bowie, named after British singer-songwriter David Bowie, suffered from a disease known as feminism, in which female and male tissue coexist.
According to PetHelpful.com, Bowie initially stayed at the same aquarium in Bar Harbor that Arnold briefly visited.
However, Bowie was eventually released back into the wild.
