What a catch: Fisherman finds extremely rare calico lobster


A New Hampshire fisherman made the quite the catch when he pulled an exceptionally rare calico lobster out of a trap last week.
The lobster is bright orange with dark blue spots, and Josiah Beringer, 27, named it Blue after the color of his trap, he told Seacoast Online. The lobster's spots are caused by a genetic pigmentation mutation that happens in 1 out of every 30 million to 50 million lobsters.
The lobster is estimated to be around five years old and weighs less than two pounds. Beringer decided to give Blue to the Explore the Ocean World Oceanarium in Hampton, New Hampshire because "I always like to donate cool stuff like that so kids can learn about them," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As rare as the calico lobster is, Beringer says he has caught five of them over the past 14 years. He says that Blue is "by far the coolest by a long shot. This one even had spots on his antennae. It was pretty rad."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Zack Polanski: the 'eco-populist' running for Green Party leader
In The Spotlight 'Insurgent' party deputy is making a bid to take the Greens further to the left
-
Do smartphone bans in schools work?
The Explainer Trials in UK, New Zealand, France and the US found prohibition may be only part of the solution
-
Doom: The Dark Ages – an 'exhilarating' prequel
The Week Recommends Legendary shooter adds new combat options from timed parries to melee attacks and a 'particularly satisfying' shield charge
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read