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The “cotton candy” lobster captured off the coast of New Hampshire now resides at the Seacoast Science Center.(Image credit: Seacoast Science Center, Rye, NH)ShareShare by:
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A “cotton-candy” lobster, a rare find with a one in 100 million chance of occurrence, displaying vivid pink, purple, and blue tones, was hauled in by a fisherman near the New Hampshire shoreline towards the end of July.
Joseph Krame, the 25-year-old who discovered the unusual creature, generously gifted his uncommon find to the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire. There, the lobster, reportedly in “good health and feeding well,” is presently on exhibit for the public, according to Karen Provazza, a Seacoast Science Center employee, in an electronic message to Live Science.
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All lobsters consume a reddish pigment known as astaxanthin, derived from vegetation and minor crustaceans within their sustenance. This pigment is responsible for the lobster’s remarkable crimson hue upon cooking, in addition to their naturally variegated brownish facade.
The lobster’s outer layer consists of several strata, starting with the cuticle, then followed by a couple of shell layers. Upon intake, the reddish pigment concentrates within the skin stratum. This pigment then progresses to the lower shell section, which exhibits a bluish coloration owing to interactions between the pigment and proteins found in the shell, thus contorting the pigment. Lastly, as the pigment moves into the uppermost shell layer, it reacts with distinct proteins to manifest a yellowish tinge.
Hence, our perception of a lobster involves peering through these successive layers — a yellow, a blue, and a red one — which collectively contribute to the lobster’s mottled brown presentation. The action of cooking the lobster disintegrates these proteins, consequently restoring astaxanthin to its characteristic red shade.
The diversity in lobster coloration is a consequence of genetic changes that modify how this pigment relates to proteins within the carapace. Blue lobsters possess a modification resulting in amplified production of proteins in the deeper shell layer, which draws more of the red pigment from the skin into the shell stratum. This modification emerges in about one in 2 million lobsters.
“Cotton candy” lobsters are considerably rarer, appearing approximately once every 100 million births. The specific genetic underpinnings of this coloration remain elusive, but it is speculated that some factor disrupts the routine pigmentation operation, permitting enhanced visibility of the red astaxanthin through the blue stratum. The outcome is “an assortment of pinks and purples over a blue foundation, evocative of cotton candy,” according to Provazza.
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In addition to the lobster’s genetic makeup, its food intake might also influence its coloration. The depth of color gradations in lobsters bearing mutations predisposing particular color variations will depend on their dietary habits. By way of illustration, if the lobster mainly ingests bait fish, it will absorb less astaxanthin, contrasting with a standard lobster diet abundant in astaxanthin-rich crab and shrimp.
So, why are these lobster color morphs so infrequently observed? Firstly, genetic modifications that initiate these variants will transpire at a remarkably low rate. Besides, brightly-colored lobsters possess a reduced capacity to conceal themselves against the seafloor, thus heightening their vulnerability to predation, consequently diminishing their prospects of surviving for a sufficient period to transmit their genetic material.
The cotton candy lobster, predicted to be between 8 and 10 years in age, will spend its residual lifespan at the Seacoast Center located in New Hampshire, sheltered from predatory threats and customary New England lobster meals. It is paired with a different cotton candy lobster procured during November of 2021.
Tiffany TaylorSocial Links NavigationEvolutionary biologist
Tiffany Taylor collaborated with Live Science during the summer of 2024 as an Association of British Science Writers Fellow. She serves as a professor in Microbial Ecology and Evolution at the University of Bath, situated in the U.K., where her scientific group explores the dynamics of evolution in a lab context, using bacteria to understand genetic and genomic advancement. She has also written three children’s publications concerning evolution and genetics. Beyond her research endeavors, she usually enjoys running – occasionally for leisure, but more typically in pursuit of her two young offspring.
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