This rare lobster caught off the coast of Gloucester is 1 in 30 million

Meet Jack-o’-Lantern, or Jackie for short…

This rare calico lobster was caught off the coast of Massachusetts, and her striking orange and black coloring sent her right to Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center.

A Gloucester lobsterman donated her and school kids will now get to learn about her, said Sierra Muñoz, the Outreach Program Coordinator at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center/Coastal Sustainability Institute.

“Lobsterman will catch something like this and don’t want to necessarily harvest it, they want to share this special thing.”

Some interesting facts about Jackie – she’s one in 30 million! Her coloring is the result of the mixing of chemical compounds found in crustaceans.

“Just like in humans, our DNA tells our skin and eyes and hair to be all kinds of different beautiful colors and it’s the same with lobsters,” said Muñoz.

And it might be genetic.

“I’m actually hoping to work with some of the genomics folks that we have at the Marine Center and the Coastal Sustainability Institute to maybe get at that, maybe do some DNA testing on our lobsters to answer that.”

Jackie is territorial, so she can’t stay in the same tank as the other beautifully colored and rare blue lobster, Neptune, who is also living at the marine center.

“She seems really happy right now. She’s really active… really snappy and kind of sassy,” said Muñoz.

Sounds like a true Massachusetts native.

With lobsters being such a part of the Bay State culture, Munoz says she’s so grateful to lobstermen who donate their amazing finds. “It can create these really cool science connections to the research that we’re doing.”