Mayo aquarium staff left baffled as rare albino lobster has started turning blue
Charlie the white lobster who is turning blue at Achill Experience Aquarium.
Staff at a Mayo aquarium have been left baffled as to why their extremely rare white lobster is gradually turning blue.
The rare albino lobster has been living at the community-run Achill Experience Aquarium since he was discovered off the nearby coast six years ago.
He is affectionately called Charlie after the fisherman Charlie O’Malley who caught him off the Achill coast in 2017. It is estimated that only one in 100 million lobsters are white or albino.
The crustacean was discovered when a beach in the village of Dooagh reappeared after 33 years. Waves had previously washed all the sand away.
The lobster has started to take on a blue hue in recent times.
“Albino lobsters only live between three to five years because they can easily be seen by predators at sea. Charlie was already an adult when he was caught so we estimate he could be about 14 years old,” said Kevin Garvin, who is one of the aquarists at the Achill Experience.
“Every time he moults (changes shell) in order to grow, which is every 12 to 14 months, we see the blue colour which is gradually getting stronger."
His next moult is due in the coming months.
“He is healthy and his water is local sea water which is constantly tested. Visiting vets have said it is highly unusual to see this in an albino lobster.
“We have a few theories in that it could be his age that is causing the blue tint or his diet, which is and has always been fish. But again, these are just theories so we don’t know for sure," said Mr Garvin.
