Don’t let his name fool you. He’s not actually a golfer.
In reality, Arnold Clawmer is the first tenant for the Shaw Institute Environmental Education Center’s new touch tank.
The Blue Hill-based research center announced the acquisition of the aquatic rarity on Christmas Eve.
Arnold’s new life began when a “sympathetic customer” spied him at the Shop and Save of Milbridge and wanted to donate him to a marine learning center, according to the Shaw Institute.
He has spent time adjusting to touch tank life at the Oceanarium in Bar Harbor before arriving at what could be his forever home in Blue Hill.
READ MORE ABOUT LOBSTERS
The split-color mutation only occurs every 1 in 50 million lobsters. The change happens when two fertilized eggs fuse together to form one lobster.
While rare, it is far from the most unusual color scheme sported by the bottom-dwelling crustaceans. That honor goes to the albino (sometimes called a ghost) and cotton candy lobsters, which occur every 1 in 100 million.
Orange and yellow lobsters occur only once in every 30 million, while red lobsters occur every 1 in 10 million and blue occur every 1 in 2 million.
Those figures are based on information from fisheries, and scientists caution us to take them with a grain of salt, because we don’t really know how often these mutations occur. In fact, scientists are still working to crack the mystery behind lobster pigmentation.
Regardless of whether he’s a 1 in 50 million or something a little less unique, Arnold Clawmer will still be living it up in Blue Hill, where he’ll no doubt amaze and stun gawkers.
