The translucent lobster was female, and was bearing eggs
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Over time, fishermen have stumbled upon different kinds of weird-looking lobsters swimming in the waters of Maine. These creatures usually have a peculiar appearance, and people have learned not to be surprised. However, this time, they were baffled after having caught a translucent lobster.
Maine is the country of weird lobsters
Alex Todd is the lobsterman who caught the weird-looking specimen. He has always known the Maine waters are special, as he even caught blue or half blue-half orange lobsters. However, this was the first time in his lifetime when he saw a translucent lobster.
Todd lives right in the middle of the ‘lobster country’, namely in Chebeague Island, Maine. Therefore, he has plenty of experience on how these creatures should look like. When he saw the animal looked as if it had been made of glass, he knew this was a unique specimen. Shortly after he had caught it, he took several pictures of the animal, which immediately reached social media.
The translucent lobster was an egg-bearing female
However, Todd couldn’t keep the translucent lobster. He noticed how it had a notched tail, which meant he had to throw it back into the water. This is a sign that the specimen is a female which is bearing eggs. Therefore, due to conservation purposes, these specimens have to be returned immediately to their habitat.
When fishermen catch female lobsters and notice they are bearing eggs, they take a V-notch knife and cut a small piece off its tail. This way, when other fishermen catch the same lobsters, they should know they are egg carriers, and throw them back in the water.
Several experts looked at the photos taken by Todd of the translucent lobsters. They suggested this peculiar color is given by a condition called Leucism. This translates as a partial loss of pigment in the lobster’s shell, leading to it looking almost transparent.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons