Fig, Currant, Peaches and Banana can all be found crawling about in their tanks at the University of New England.

Researchers there must fancy fruit as all of these produce-inspired names were given to the unusually tinted lobsters that those scientists are studying. These colorful (purple, red, orange,and yellow, respectively) crustacean rarities inspire wonder and questions, as experts are trying to better understand the genetic factors that cause such special shades.

Lobsters can come in all the colors of the rainbow. A live lobster is typically mottled brown-green but occasionally other hues occur. One interesting natural phenomenon that was documented in 2024 was the capture of a yellow lobster by a Nantucket lobsterer 25 miles east of that island.  The frequency of a yellow lobster is one in 30 million animals.

Yellow is not the rarest color either. Blue, red, calico, orange, transparent, purple and even white (albino) are all possible shell tones. The most uncommon would be the albino, or white lobster, which is a one in 100 million find. Calico and red mirror the chances of the yellow lobster at one in 30 million. A blue would be two in a million and a purple lobster is one in a million.

When these special lobsters are found, it makes the news and makes memories. Jason Gale, Island lobsterman, remembers the only atypically-colored lobster he ever caught. It was 25 years ago in the Tashmoo channel that he pulled up a calico (mottled like the cat of the same name) lobster, recalling that he could see it in the trap 10 feet down it stood out so intensely. 

Another unforgettable meeting came when a blue lobster caught by Tim Walsh off of Menemsha in 2018 was introduced to the staff of WMVY Radio.  They were intensely interested because their radio station logo is the blue lobster. Other regional sightings of colored lobsters have been documented in 2017 (yellow), 2020 and 2024 (blue off the coast of Nahant) and another yellow one found the same year in Bristol, Maine.

The disposition of these curious creatures is rarely the lobster pot, though we know they will be red once cooked. This is due to a carotenoid compound called astaxanthin which is released during heating. Before cooking, the aforementioned colors are believed to be the result of genetic factors. 

Whether due to luck or to compassion, these special lobsters are often returned to the waters or sent to labs for research or aquariums for education. The New England Aquarium has a special collection of outrageous lobster oddities that include a blue, yellow, calico and, most rare, half and half, or split orange and black lobster, naturally called Halloween.

Naming these lobsters has clearly become a creative endeavor. The fruit nomenclature favored by the University of New England scientists is popular. The Maria Mitchell Aquarium on Nantucket has an orange lobster named Clementine. Tim’s blue lobster was called Morgan after his dog and naming contests have even been spawned from these discoveries.

The Nantucket lobster most recently seen wins the prize for most original name. It was first suggested to be called Butter or Amarillo, however, the boat captain won the day with an even more amusing name, Yellownardo De Pinchy.

Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.