Blue lobsters are members of the phylum Arthropoda which, in Greek means “jointed leg”, and are related to shrimp, crabs, and barnacles. The blue lobster is very rare and is a mutant of the familiar brown lobster. Like all lobsters, blue lobsters have a hard outer skeleton (exoskeleton) made of a substance called chiton. Lobsters must shed their shell periodically in order to grow. This process is called molting. Blue lobsters tend to be more aggressive because their coloring attracts predators, which may be why so few survive in the wild.
One in a million of lobsters are blue. Of course, when a blue lobster is cooked, it ends up looking just like any of its brethren, a baked orange color. A research study conducted at the University of Connecticut, discovered that a genetic defect causes a blue lobster to produce an excessive amount of protein. The protein, and a red caratenoid molecule known as astaxanthin, push together to form a blue complex known as crustacyanin, giving the lobster its unique blue color. One reason that lobsters are so expensive, is that they do not reach marketable size quickly. It takes a lobster five to eight years to weigh a pound. To swim, lobsters propel themselves backwards, by flips of their tail. Lobsters breathe by means of gills located in cavities on either side of their body. Water is directed over the surface of these gills by small appendages on either side of the mouth.
Labels: Animals and Insects |
