A 14-year-old girl from Maine had a great morning at sea when she pulled up something she's never caught before – a rare blue lobster.
Meghan LaPlante's catch quickly made national headlines because of how rare it is to actually catch a blue lobster. Experts estimate only one in two million lobsters is blue.
And that is worth celebrating. But it's become more common in recent years to catch a variety of these rare colored lobsters.
Timereports a couple theories for a perceived increase of unusual catches — including how viral the pictures can go, but also:
"Maybe we’re catching more out-of-the-ordinary crustaceans simply because we’re catching more of them overall." (Via Time)
The outlet also notes this trend might be an illusion – looks like there's another mystery to add to the vast sea. But something we can't leave unsolved is what makes them blue.
National Geographic tells us it's simply genetics. "The lobster's body makes too much of a certain protein, which turns its shell blue."
And, just like that lobster, Meghan isn't ordinary either.
MEGHAN LaPLANTE: "A good day is if we catch one lobster in each trap."
The Portland Press Herald reports, "She has a student lobstering license that allows her to set 150 traps a year."
And she even has her own business called Miss Meghan's Lobster Catch which she's managed for the past eight years. That's a lot to take on for a 14-year-old.
And in case anyone was wondering, blue lobsters still turn red when boiled, and taste just like any other lobster. (Video via The University of Maine)
Meghan's lobster, which she named Skyler, won't be suffering that fate though. She's giving him to the Maine State Aquarium where he will be in good company. There are three blue lobsters already living there.
