Rare two toned lobster escapes pot to become local marvel

A rare, two-toned lobster, half brown and half vibrant orange, has captivated New Englanders after being spared from the cooking pot and donated to a science centre. Discovered off Cape Cod, the striking crustacean exhibits its unique split coloration from head to tail.

Wellfleet Shellfish Company in Eastham, Massachusetts, which found the specimen, confirmed Monday it has been fielding inquiries for days. The company gifted the lobster to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium in Falmouth, Massachusetts, where it will be put on public display once the facility reopens.

In a statement, the shellfish company said: "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."

Shannon Keresey/Wellfleet Shellfish Company via AP

Fishermen caught the unusual creature off Cape Cod on 16 April. While oddly coloured lobsters frequently appear at New England docks, this two-coloured variety is rarer than most. American lobsters are typically mottled brown, but gene mutations affecting pigment-binding proteins can cause colour abnormalities like blue, orange, spotted calico, or "cotton candy" hues.

Professor Markus Frederich of the University of New England in Maine explained in 2024 that a two-coloured lobster can occur when two lobster eggs fuse and grow as one animal. He cautioned that rarity figures are approximations. On Cape Cod, Wellfleet Shellfish Company described the find as "remarkable and exciting."