Rare calico lobster caught in New Hampshire, donated to local aquarium

On July 23, Captain Josiah Beringer discovered a 1.5-pound, 5-year-old calico lobster in his trap in the mouth of Hampton Harbor, New Hampshire.

"I've caught five of them including that one (over the last 14 years), but that is definitely by far the coolest by a long shot," Beringer, 27, told Seacoastonline.com. "This one even had spots on his antennae. It was pretty rad."

He donated the bright orange lobster with dark blue spots to the nearby Explore the Ocean World Oceanarium.

"I always like to donate cool stuff like that so kids can learn about them," Beringer said.

Marine biologist and oceanarium owner Ellen Goethel said that calico lobsters — the result of a genetic pigmentation mutation — are the second rarest in the world, after albino lobsters.

"I've never seen one this bright," Goethel said of Beringer's calico crustacean. "It's absolutely gorgeous. It is really rare and it is pretty cool."

The lobster will be a temporary resident at the oceanarium for the summer before Goethel releases it back into the ocean.

"He's quite happy and he'll go back to the ocean after a little stint here," Goethel said. "I'm hoping to keep him here the whole summer."

In August of 2012, a Quebec fisherman caught an extremely rare albino lobster. Lloyd Green nicknamed the one-in-100-million lobster "Blondie," and sought a safe home for the lobster at an aquarium.

In November of that same year, a Massachusetts fisherman caught a rare black-and-orange lobster. He donated the Halloween-themed crustacean to the New England Aquarium.

Last summer, a Nova Scotia lobsterman caught a bright blue lobster, its unique coloration the result of a genetic defect that caused the lobster to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein. The small lobster was released back into the water.

Also found in Nova Scotia last summer were 35 bright orange lobsters. Usually, live lobsters are a greenish brown hue and turn bright red when cooked. These bright lobsters fooled some market customers into believing they're already been cooked. (While they were displayed at a market, the bright lobsters were not for sale.)

And in Maine last August, a lobsterman found a rare two-tone lobster, half-orange, half-brown. He donated it to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

"This one just stops people in their tracks," said the institute's Alan Lishness. "Even people who've seen thousands of lobsters just can't believe it."

Moral of the story: If you're a lobster, being an interesting colour can save you from becoming dinner.

(Photo via AP Canada)