Latest news with #rare
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rare orange lobsters rescued from supermarket tanks in New York, Connecticut
NEW YORK - Three rare orange lobsters were rescued from seafood tanks in New York and Connecticut during the past month and returned to the ocean, according to the animal advocacy group Humane Long Island. The organization said the unusual shellfish arrived in shipments of the traditional brown lobsters around the Fourth of July and was alerted to their presence by social media users. "The genetic anomaly that results in a striking orange complexion is extremely rare, only 1-in-30-million, but it is hereditary, so when one is spotted in a local store, other members of their family often appear at other locations," John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist and executive director of Humane Long Island, said in a statement. The lobsters were nicknamed "Peaches," "Sebastian" and "Clawdia" before being released back into the Long Island Sound around mid-month. Nearly 300 Queen Conchs Found After Illegal Harvest In Florida Keys "While the chance of finding an orange lobster is 1 in 30 million, rarer still is for one of them to be returned to the sea. Over 300 million lobsters are trapped and killed annually," Leonardo stated. "Like all aquatic animals, lobsters want to live free rather than be confined to a cramped aquarium or a boiling pot, and Humane Long Island reminds the public that they can save two hundred animals like Sebastian, Clawdia, and Peaches annually by simply leaving animals off their plate." The group says anytime a person sees an unusually colored lobster that has been captured or transported to a store, they should immediately reach out to their local animal advocacy group. According to NOAA Fisheries, about 121 million pounds of American lobsters were captured and sold back on shore in 2023. Maine and Massachusetts are annually the leading producers, accounting for 93% of the shellfish harvest. Typically, lobsters weigh only a few pounds, with the record being around 45 pounds, caught off Canada's Nova Scotia province in 1977. Biologists Rescue Endangered Sawfish In Florida Keys As Race To Save Species Underway Orange-colored lobsters are not the only type of rarities - blue lobsters, yellow lobsters and even white lobsters have been found, with odds ranging from 1-in-2-million to 1-in-100-million. The mutations are not harmful and are the result of pigment and protein interactions, marine specialists say. It is also not illegal to catch or sell one of the brightly colored lobsters, but most fishing boats tend to throw the catch back into the water due to their rarity. As for Peaches, Sebastian and Clawdia, they were last observed foraging in their new environment off the coast of New article source: Rare orange lobsters rescued from supermarket tanks in New York, Connecticut Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Pair of rare, multicoloured lobsters new summer stars of Dartmouth ocean centre
Burrowing under seaweed and crawling around a large open-top tank at an ocean centre in Dartmouth, N.S., are two beady-eyed alien-like creatures named Moonmist and Bingo. One of them is half bright red and half black while the other has baby-blue and white "cotton candy" colours. Moonmist and Bingo are lobsters. The extremely rare duo, with colour combinations that are estimated to occur only in one in 50 million and one in 100 million, respectively, were likely headed toward someone's supper plate or lobster roll, until staff at a large Bedford, N.S., fish market identified the unique crustaceans and donated them to the Back to the Sea Centre in Dartmouth, N.S. Magali Gregoire, head of the non-profit centre that offers sea-life education, said the pair have quickly captivated the centre's visitors, who may be used to seeing dull brown-coloured lobsters in grocery stores or fish markets. "It's been really exciting for both us and our visitors. A lot of people have never seen lobsters like this," Gregoire said in an interview Thursday. Visitors have been flocking to see the half-red and half-black lobster, named Bingo, who likes to sit under seaweed on the opposite side of the tank from bright, pale-blue Moonmist — named after the beloved Maritime ice cream flavour. The centre ran a naming contest that generated a few hundred votes and suggestions before Moonmist and Bingo came out on top. "The split coloured-one, that is Bingo. People did try to name the pair after the famous kids TV show `Bingo and Bluey,"' which is a cartoon about a blue and red dog duo. While the name Bingo earned top votes, Moonmist beat out Bluey, Gregoire said. Gregoire was first alerted to the baby blue and white lobster by staff at Fisherman's Market in Bedford, N.S., where the lobster was set to be sold. The fish retailer offered to donate the unique creature that was caught off the coast of Canso, near Cape Breton, to the centre. When Gregoire arrived at the market to pick up the blue lobster, she was offered the second rare lobster as a donation as well. "We don't actually know where the second one comes from, so that one's a little mystery," Gregoire said. Ian MacSween, director of retail operations with Fisherman's Market, said in a statement it was a "pleasure" to donate the two unique lobsters to the Back to the Sea Centre. "We knew they would be kept in good hands and given an opportunity to showcase and educate all of their visitors this summer," MacSween said. Although Bingo is not as rare a specimen as Moonmist, Gregoire says the former seems to be getting more attention from visitors due to a clear straight line that appears to go almost all the way down the lobster's body. It makes it look like Bingo was perfectly half-cooked, with one side of its tail completely red, while the other half is black. Gregoire estimates Bingo is between eight and 10 years-old, and Moonmist, who is slightly larger, is likely between 10 and 13 years-old. She said staff have had some difficulty identifying the lobsters' sexes, but they think Bingo is a male and Moonmist is a female. When the two were first united, Gregoire said it looked like they would be fast friends, but this didn't last. "The first day we brought them in, they were being very nice to each other. But we know lobsters can be territorial. So we have built a little rock wall that separates them," she said. In the mornings when staff return to the centre, Gregoire said they often find the lobsters have rearranged the seaweed and rocks in their tank. "We are finding they're crawling over the wall. But when one crawls over, the other moves away to the other side. Giving space," she said. The pair will spend much of the summer in the centre, giving visitors as much time as possible to see Bingo and Moonmist before they are returned to the ocean. "Just as the name of our centre says, Back to the Sea, all our creatures do get to go back to the sea," she said.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Pair of rare, multicoloured lobsters new summer stars of Dartmouth ocean centre
A rare blue-and-white "Cotton Candy" lobster named Moonmist, left, and a rare half-red, half-black lobster named Bingo, are seen in this undated handout photo from the Back to the Sea Centre in Dartmouth, N.S. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Back to the Sea Centre DARTMOUTH — Burrowing under seaweed and crawling around a large open-top tank at an ocean centre in Dartmouth, N.S., are two beady-eyed alien-like creatures named Moonmist and Bingo. One of them is half bright red and half black while the other has baby-blue and white 'cotton candy' colours. Moonmist and Bingo are lobsters. The extremely rare duo, with colour combinations that are estimated to occur only in one in 50 million and one in 100 million, respectively, were likely headed toward someone's supper plate or lobster roll, until staff at a large Bedford, N.S., fish market identified the unique crustaceans and donated them to the Back to the Sea Centre in Dartmouth, N.S. Magali Grégoire, head of the non-profit centre that offers sea-life education, said the pair have quickly captivated the centre's visitors, who may be used to seeing dull brown-coloured lobsters in grocery stores or fish markets. 'It's been really exciting for both us and our visitors. A lot of people have never seen lobsters like this,' Grégoire said in an interview Thursday. Visitors have been flocking to see the half-red and half-black lobster, named Bingo, who likes to sit under seaweed on the opposite side of the tank from bright, pale-blue Moonmist — named after the beloved Maritime ice cream flavour. The centre ran a naming contest that generated a few hundred votes and suggestions before Moonmist and Bingo came out on top. 'The split coloured-one, that is Bingo. People did try to name the pair after the famous kids TV show 'Bingo and Bluey,'' which is a cartoon about a blue and red dog duo. While the name Bingo earned top votes, Moonmist beat out Bluey, Grégoire said. Grégoire was first alerted to the baby blue and white lobster by staff at Fisherman's Market in Bedford, N.S., where the lobster was set to be sold. The fish retailer offered to donate the unique creature that was caught off the coast of Canso, near Cape Breton, to the centre. When Grégoire arrived at the market to pick up the blue lobster, she was offered the second rare lobster as a donation as well. 'We don't actually know where the second one comes from, so that one's a little mystery,' Grégoire said. Ian MacSween, director of retail operations with Fisherman's Market, said in a statement it was a 'pleasure' to donate the two unique lobsters to the Back to the Sea Centre. 'We knew they would be kept in good hands and given an opportunity to showcase and educate all of their visitors this summer,' MacSween said. Although Bingo is not as rare a specimen as Moonmist, Grégoire says the former seems to be getting more attention from visitors due to a clear straight line that appears to go almost all the way down the lobster's body. It makes it look like Bingo was perfectly half-cooked, with one side of its tail completely red, while the other half is black. Grégoire estimates Bingo is between eight and 10 years-old, and Moonmist, who is slightly larger, is likely between 10 and 13 years-old. She said staff have had some difficulty identifying the lobsters' sexes, but they think Bingo is a male and Moonmist is a female. When the two were first united, Grégoire said it looked like they would be fast friends, but this didn't last. 'The first day we brought them in, they were being very nice to each other. But we know lobsters can be territorial. So we have built a little rock wall that separates them,' she said. In the mornings when staff return to the centre, Grégoire said they often find the lobsters have rearranged the seaweed and rocks in their tank. 'We are finding they're crawling over the wall. But when one crawls over, the other moves away to the other side. Giving space,' she said. The pair will spend much of the summer in the centre, giving visitors as much time as possible to see Bingo and Moonmist before they are returned to the ocean. 'Just as the name of our centre says, Back to the Sea, all our creatures do get to go back to the sea,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025. Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
