Earlier this month, fishermen caught a full bodied ivory white lobster in the waters near the town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire.
A group of fishermen donated the lobster to the National Trust for the exhibit before putting it back to sea this year. The lobster is on display at the former National Trust Coast Guard station in Robin Hood Bay. Employees of this organization ask the public to name the special shrimp.
Lobsters are usually brown or gray, which helps them camouflage the rocky bottom. However, many lobsters are orange or blue, which makes them stand out underwater. Uniquely colored lobsters are the target of chefs and many restaurants are willing to pay a premium for them.
According to experts, the rate of white lobster in the world is 1 / 1,000,000 of shrimp. The white color of lobster is the result of a rare genetic mutation called leucism, which partially loses its pigmentation in animals. Vitiligo is slightly different from albino, a lack of complete pigmentation, resulting in red or pink eyes.
Vitiligo lobsters find it difficult to survive for long in the wild because their easily detectable shell color makes them a target for predators. Vitiligo not only affects marine animals, but also occurs in birds, mammals, and reptiles.
