No, the photo you’re looking at was not photoshopped.
Blue lobsters, such as the one caught this week off the coast of Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, do exist. They are, however, extremely rare. One estimate from the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine (because where else would a lobster institute be?) puts the chances of finding a blue lobster at just one in two million.
Lobsterman catches rare, bright blue 2-pound lobster off the coast of Cape Cod. https://t.co/P7jqAt1dW4 pic.twitter.com/flC66Ml8V6
— ABC News (@ABC) August 10, 2016
Adding to the intrigue of this story: This was the second bright blue lobster that lobsterman Wayne Nickerson’s caught in his lifetime. Nickerson, who caught the blue lobster Monday, caught his first blue crustacean back in 1990.
Nickerson’s wife, Jan, told ABC News that the rare lobster’s being held in a tank while the couple work to have him donated to a local aquarium.
Turns out, while blue lobsters are hard to come by, there are other unusually colored lobsters that occur even less often.
Yellow Lobsters
According to the aforementioned Lobster Institute, just one in 30 million lobsters have a yellow shell.
Calico Lobsters
You’re just as likely (or unlikely, rather) to find a calico lobster as you are a yellow lobster. The chances are about one in 30 million.
Albino Lobsters
An albino or “crystal” lobster is the rarest lobster you can find. The chances of finding one? One in 100 million. It’s pretty amazing that any of these have been found at all.
