In his four decades as a lobster fisherman, Robert Wagner encountered a unique discovery: a lobster divided in half, with one side blue and the other orange from head to tail.
“It was quite fascinating,” Wagner remarked about the half-blue, half-orange lobster he named Oscar. The unusual crustacean was found in a trap near Blue Rocks on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.
After caring for Oscar for a month, Wagner reached out to Dalhousie University to offer the lobster a new home. Nadia Stewart, from Dalhousie’s Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity, noted the significance of rescuing such lobsters due to their vulnerability in the wild.
Stewart explained that Oscar’s distinct coloring results from a rare genetic mutation occurring in approximately one out of 50 million lobsters. She added that albino lobsters, found in only one out of 100 million, are even rarer.
Following a special licensing process, Oscar was transported to Halifax, where he now resides at Dalhousie University. Recently, Oscar surprised staff by shedding his shell, prompting the center to display his old shell before he grows a new blue-and-orange one.
Wagner expressed gratitude for Oscar’s new home, stating, “We’re just thankful that he ended up in good hands and hope he enjoys a fulfilling life.”