Ponderings of a Scientist

This week I chose an individual, rather than an entire species (although I do have an particulary interest in this species). This two-toned lobster was pulled from a trap in Bar Harbor, Maine, some time last week. Lobsters, as you can see, have a growth pattern that (just for you Georgy Boy) allows each side of the body to develop independently. Lobster shell color is determined by a pigment, astaxanthin, which bind to shell proteins in different layers of the shell. Astaxanthin can appear red, yellow, or blue depending on a number of factors. Usually, all three variants are present and the resultant color is a molted green/brown. However, when a part of the system is mutated all sorts of colors or color combinations can appear. The blue lobster, likely the most infamous, color mutant, occurs in one in one million lobsters, whereas this two-tone mutation is only present in one in 50 million lobsters. What a catch! The lobstermen donated this lobster to the Bar Harbor Aquarium.