Casper the lobster is one in 100 million!
AN extremely rare female albino lobster, caught on Hallowe’en, has been saved from near-certain death and safely re-homed at Sea Life in Bray.
There is only a one in 100 million chance of an albino lobster being caught and the fact the spooky looking creature was caught at Hallowe’en makes it all the rarer.
The chance of long-term survival is very slim for these unusual creatures as their colouring makes them stand out to predators.
‘ This bright white lobster is intriguing to see as lobsters are usually dark blue in colour,’ said Sea Life curator and marine biologist Chris Gamble. ‘Her bright appearance would make her very obvious to predators in the wild so she’ll have a much better chance of survival in an aquarium.’
The lobster was rescued off Loughshinny, close to Skerries in north Dublin by fisherman David Murtagh, who found it caught in one of his traps on the morning after Hallowe’en.
David, who is from a long line of fishermen, said: ‘I laid traps for crabs, and was really surprised to see an albino lobster had been caught. As it had been caught on Hallowe’en night, I immediately thought of it as a ghost-like creature.
‘I know that it is very rare, although I heard that my grandfather had caught one some 40-odd years ago, also from the same waters,’ he said.
The staff at Sea Life have been charmed by the lobster who has been named Casper, after the friendly cartoon ghost.
Casper is enjoying her new home in the Jewels of the Irish Sea display, and is already a huge hit with visitors to the aquarium.