Rare four-clawed lobster caught in Wells, Maine

Here are some pictures of the four claw lobster caught in Wells, Maine this week. Pretty cool!

Four-clawed lobster caught in Wells, Maine.

Another photo I grabbed from the Daily Mail

As I mention in my book, How To Catch A Lobster In Down East Maine, a unique lobster like this four-clawed crustation is one of the most exciting thing for a lobster fisherman to catch in his trap. Blue and yellow lobsters are rare but have been caught by different fishermen along the coast of Down East Maine. Catching a big bull lobster is also quite exciting.

A jumbo lobster caught in Cutler, Maine.

But perhaps the most exciting catch is a deformed lobster like the four-clawed one. In my book, I mention that in addition to molting in order to grow, a lobster is able to regenerate most of its appendages when needed. Lobsters often amputate their own claws and legs to escape danger. With time, a new claw will grow. Sometimes a deformed appendage will grow in place of another. For example, a leg may appear grotesquely in place of an eye. My father once caught a lobster not that dissimilar to the Wells lobster. It had two deformed claws growing out of its original claw joint. We still have the deformed claw shell in our basement at home.