SALEM — First there was the blue lobster. Now, just in time for
Halloween, it’s the orange and black. Salem lobsterman Dana
Duhaime caught a rare split-colored lobster last week in one of
his traps in Bakers Channel off Beverly, according to the New
England Aquarium. The 1-pound lobster is split perfectly down
the middle, with one side black, the other side orange.
Scientists believe the rare look is caused by a complete
cellular split when the lobster egg is first fertilized,
according to the aquarium. Split lobsters happen about once in
every 50 to 100 million lobsters, with orange and black the most
common combination. The discovery of the orange-and-black
lobster comes less than a month after another local lobsterman,
Mike Malewicki of Beverly, caught a blue lobster about 12 miles
off Beverly. The chances of a blue lobster are about 1 in 5
million. Both colorful crustaceans are now in the possession of
the New England Aquarium.