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Stonington, ME (WMTW) — We’ve seen our fair share of rare lobster this year, but a rare iridescent, white lobster was caught off the Maine coast.
Mike Billings caught the lobster off Stonington, he told WMTW News 8. The lobster was put back in the ocean.
Normally, lobsters get their color by mixing yellow, red and blue pigments. Genetic mutations can result in differently colored lobsters.
These iridescent lobsters likely have a genetic condition called Leucism, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association said. It results in a partial loss of pigment, which is why some colors are still present in the shell.
A total loss of pigment would make the lobster albino, which isn’t the case with this lobster.
White lobsters are a one-in-100-million find — the rarest of all.
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