A rather unusual lobster is to go on display at a U.S. aquarium after being caught in a trap off Hyannis, Massachusetts.
On its right side, the four-pound lobster has a normal claw — but on the other side it has five small claws, rather like fingers in their arrangement.
Capt. Peter Brown and Richard Figueiredo of the fishing vessel Rachel Leah — which featured on the Discovery Channel's TV series 'Lobster Wars' — have donated the lobster, christened Lola, to Maine State Aquarium.
Aquarium manager Aimee Hayden-Roderiques said the claw deformity is a genetic mutation. "Sometimes they have this throughout their life, sometimes this happens during a regeneration from a damaged or lost claw."
There are other unusual lobsters at the aquarium, including blue, orange and even half-and-half specimens, but Hayden-Roderiques said she has never seen one with six claws before.
Neither has marine scientist David Libby, who works at the aquarium for the Department of Marine Resources and who has 40 years of experience with ocean animals.
He said: "Sometimes the genes will just get a little mixed and it will grow a funny claw. But I’ve never seen anything like this."
Lola is estimated to be around 10 years old.
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