![]() In this case, a genetic abnormality caused the lobster to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein. In 2016, a Massachusetts lobsterman found one in his traps, which caught the attention of ABC News. That said, imagine how surprised a visitor to Maine might be to see a lobster that is electric blue? According to oceanographers, only an estimated one in 2 million lobsters is blue. ![]() That’s why so many people think Maine lobster is naturally red. Without getting too scientific, when lobsters are cooked, the proteins that astaxanthin bind to are destroyed, changing the shell colors to a red pigment. They get their shell color from a class of red and yellow pigments called astaxanthin. The fact is the natural colors of most live lobsters are a mottled greenish brown to blackish brown, which helps conceal them on the ocean floor from predators. They do not do well in captivity and prefer the open ocean thus, you will not see one at the Oceanarium.Įllen Goethel is a marine biologist from Hampton and owner of Explore the Ocean World Oceanarium at Hampton Beach.“Why isn’t that lobster bright red?’ So many visitors who come to Maine have asked that question when viewing live lobsters in a tank thanks to a century of postcards, children’s books and illustrations that depict Maine’s famous crustacean as bright crimson. I have been lucky to have held one briefly. These octopus are rarely seen by anyone but the commercial fishermen who occasionally see them in their nets in the spring. By the time the eggs hatch and swim off, the female is emaciated and soon dies. Unfortunately, when the females mature and lay their eggs they stop eating and devote their life to aerating and caring for their eggs. Our little arctic octopus live a long life, up to 6 years. Every night when the lights went out and we all went home, she would squeeze out of her tank and flop herself across the floor to the lobster tank, squeeze through the top and have herself a feast! They had quite a time trying to octopus proof her tank. At the aquarium, Rosy was in a tank on the same gallery as the American lobsters. The octopus can squeeze through any small space if it can fit its beak through. It looks exactly like a bird beak and can be just as destructive, crushing the exoskeleton of crustaceans. Although octopus are soft and gelatinous, they do have one hard piece to their body and that is a beak located in the middle of the intersection of their tentacles on their head. Rosy was a character she really did love a lobster dinner. We all just want to be left alone at times. Always pay attention to an animal before interacting with it and give them their privacy. Meanwhile, her skin turned red and lumpy a sign that she was irritated with all of us! We were soaking wet and laughing. ![]() Then just as quickly she let go of our hands and whisked away into her cave. Very quietly she wound her tentacles gently over our hands and quickly grabbed us tight, so we could not pull away, and used her siphon to cover us with gallons of water. The volunteers all put their hands on the surface of the water while I continued to talk about her behavior. She came up and rolled a tentacle over my hand. There were seven of us around her tank and I was showing them how I could tap the water gently and she would come up to see what was going on. One evening after hours, I was conducting a training course for the volunteers with Rosy, the Aquarium’s Pacific octopus. While an undergraduate, I worked at the New England Aquarium in their education department. I have personal knowledge about just how cunning an octopus can be. ![]() This leads me to believe that some octopus are probably as intelligent as dogs or cats. When a crab is placed in a glass jar with a screw lid and put into a tank with an octopus, the octopus will eventually figure out how to unscrew the lid and eat the crab. Experiments with their favorite food, crustaceans, are illuminating. ![]()
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