A remarkable two-tone lobster has become a local attraction after being saved from the cooking pot. The Cape Cod seafood company that discovered the crustacean has donated it to a science centre, ensuring its survival because of its extraordinary coloration.
Unique Coloration
The lobster, found off Cape Cod, exhibits a distinct brown hue on one side and a vibrant orange on the other, a two-toned pattern extending from head to tail. Wellfleet Shellfish Company in Eastham, Massachusetts, which has been inundated with enquiries, confirmed the donation to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
The shellfish company stated: "The lobster is now with Woods Hole Science Aquarium’s animals currently being housed in holding tanks at the Marine Biological Laboratory during the aquarium’s construction period. When the aquarium reopens, the lobster will be on display, offering visitors a rare look at one of the ocean’s most striking natural anomalies."
Discovery and Rarity
The lobster was caught by fishermen off Cape Cod on 16 April. While unusually coloured lobsters are not uncommon arrivals at New England docks during spring and summer, this two-toned specimen is considered exceptionally rare.
American lobsters are typically a mottled brown, but genetic mutations affecting pigment-binding proteins can lead to striking colour abnormalities. These can manifest as blue, orange, spotted calico, or even the vivid ‘cotton candy’ lobsters. Professor Markus Frederich, a marine sciences expert at the University of New England in Maine, explained in 2024 that a two-coloured lobster can result from the fusion of two separate lobster eggs growing as a single animal. While estimates exist for the rarity of various lobster colourations, Professor Frederich noted these figures are often approximations.
The Wellfleet Shellfish Company has described the two-coloured lobster as a "remarkable and exciting find."
