Distinctly Rare and Unique Lobsters

Beside the American lobsters that we often see and eat, how many of these creatures have you seen? There are very rare lobsters that come in white, blue, yellow, two-tone colors, and even unisex lobsters.

General Facts about Lobsters

• Female lobsters can have from 5,000 to 50,000 eggs depending on her size. A large female can lay up to 100,000 eggs.
• Lobsters shed their shells every year.
• Lobsters are invertebrates. They have no backbone, but exoskeleton, which is the hard outer shell.
• Lobsters have four hard pairs of jointed walking legs, segmented body, a fan tail, sensory antennae, and compound eyes on stalks.
• Most lobsters are active at night.
• Lobsters are carnivores since they eat crabs, snails, mussels, small fishes, and other lobsters.
• Lobsters grow throughout their life.
• The biggest lobster was caught weighting at 44 pounds.
• Lobster can live to be a 100 years old.

Kiwa Hirsuta: The Yeti Lobster

Scientists discovered this creature at 7, 450 feet deep in the South Pacific, which was named Kiwa hirsuta. This lobster was so rare that they've had to create a new species family and genus for it. The white lobster or albino lobster's ratio is 1 in 100 million lobsters.

The fuzzy white lobster is blind, since it has only "the vestige of a membrane" in place of its eyes, and is about 6 inches long with pincers covered with hair-like strands.

Rare Blue Lobster

This lobster was caught two years ago, and has molted to its brightest blue at The Audubon Society in Bristol, Rhode Island. It is said that blue lobsters are a very rare occurrence, about 1 in 5 million ratio.

American Blue Lobster

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This is another very rare blue lobster. A genetic defect was discovered by Professor Ronald Christensen at the University of Connecticut. The blue lobsters produce too much protein, and a red caratenoid molecule, also known as astaxanthin. These combine to form the blue complex, known as crustacyanin, to give the lobsters their blue color.

Two Tones Lobster

As you can see in this picture, the colors are perfectly half-and half. This two-tone colored lobster is very rare occurring only once in every 50 million, and a fisherman name Alan Robinson caught it on July 13th, 2006 in Maine.

Rare Yellow Lobster

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It is believed that the yellow lobster is 30 times more rare than the blue lobsters. David Percy caught a yellow lobster on August 1st, 2006 in Maine. The chance of catching a yellow lobster is 1 in 30 million.

Unisex Lobster

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As you can see, lobsters come in many colors, such as this one. Not only are the colors different, but this lobster is a unique creature since it carries both male and female sex organs.

Blue Spiny Lobster

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The blue spiny lobsters have no claws, and migrate in a single line across the ocean floor. They are scavengers that will feed on meaty food, and a true carnivore for clam meat.

Slipper Lobster

Slipper lobsters are closely related to the spiny lobsters and are in the family of achelate (clawless) decapods crustaceans. They live in warm water of the oceans and seas. You can easily recognize the slipper lobsters by their wide head plates, and their large antennae.